BGN Faces Multiple Issues, Zulhas: Internal Reforms Underway, MBG Kitchens Audited

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan has revealed that numerous issues still need to be resolved within the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). According to Zulhas, all BGN activities have been temporarily suspended to focus on internal reforms and ensure the new system functions properly. “The problems at BGN are numerous. So now, the internal matters are being addressed first, while other activities are halted. The new ones are stopped for now,” Zulhas stated at the Parliament building on Monday (22/6/2026). One key focus of the reform is the management of food provider kitchens, which have been the frontline of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. The government believes food safety standards must be tightened to prevent incidents that endanger the health of beneficiaries from recurring. “The governance is also being improved. The kitchens are being audited. Even if it involves just one or two of our children, food poisoning must not happen again. Once this is fixed, we will proceed further with the MBG programme,” he added. As a form of oversight, Presidential Chief of Staff General (Ret.) Dudung Abdurachman conducted unannounced inspections at several Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG). Based on direct field observations, the Presidential Staff Office found many service units that have adopted operational standards very well. “From the inspections, we found SPPGs that have been operating according to standards, from kitchen hygiene, food ingredient quality, food safety, distribution accuracy, to service for beneficiaries. These compliant SPPGs can serve as benchmarks so that good practices in the field can be replicated in other areas, while still adapting to the conditions and needs of each region,” Dudung explained at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta on Friday (19/6/2026).