BGN Faces Multiple Issues, Zulhas: Internal Reforms Underway, MBG Kitchens Audited
The Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs, Zulkifli Hasan, has revealed that there are still many issues that need to be resolved within the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). According to Zulhas, all BGN activities will be temporarily suspended to focus on internal improvements and to ensure that the new system functions correctly.
“The issue is that there are many problems within the BGN. Therefore, we are focusing on internal reforms first; other recent activities are being halted for the time being,” Zulhas stated at the House of Representatives (DPR) on Monday (20/06/2026).
One of the primary focuses of this reform is the management of food provider kitchens, which serve as the spearhead for the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. The government believes that food safety standards must be tightened to prevent incidents that could endanger the health of beneficiaries from recurring.
“Furthermore, the management must be improved. The kitchens will also be audited. Even if this only affects one or two children, food poisoning must not happen again. Once these improvements are made, we will proceed with the MBG programme,” he added.
As part of the oversight function, the Chief of Staff to the President, General (Ret.) Dudung Abdurachman, has conducted unannounced inspections (sidak) at several Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG). Based on direct field observations, the KSP found that many service units have already adopted excellent operational standards.
“From these inspections, the KSP found SPPGs that are operating according to standards, ranging from kitchen cleanliness, food ingredient quality, and food safety to distribution accuracy and service to beneficiaries. These standard-compliant SPPGs can serve as models, so that good practices in the field can be replicated in other regions, while still adjusting to the specific conditions and needs of each area,” Dudung explained at the Presidential Palace Complex, Jakarta, on Friday (13/06/2026).