BGN Halts New Kitchens, House Commission IX Calls for Total Evaluation

Deputy Chairman of House Commission IX Yahya Zaini has welcomed the new leadership policy of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to impose a moratorium or temporary suspension on the registration of new kitchens for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. He believes BGN must indeed reform itself. ‘I welcome the new BGN Head’s policy to temporarily close new kitchen registrations. This demonstrates political will from BGN to genuinely improve the governance of MBG,’ Yahya told reporters on Friday (5/6/2026). He urged BGN to focus on improving the quality of existing kitchens, particularly in guaranteeing the safety of MBG food. ‘There are still many MBG facilities that lack SLHS and wastewater treatment permits. These must be fulfilled first to guarantee the quality safety of MBG. Going forward, there must be no more SPPG without SLHS and wastewater treatment permits,’ he stated. ‘Evaluate the more than 1,000 suspended SPPG to determine which ones can be reactivated and which ones still need improvement,’ he continued. The Golkar Party politician also demanded that SPPG involved in poisoning cases be thoroughly investigated to prevent such incidents from recurring. ‘So far, we have never heard the results of investigations conducted by BGN into SPPG that caused poisoning, and I request the investigation results be made public so the community can follow the improvements made by BGN,’ he said. Yahya hopes the moratorium period can be utilised to conduct a total evaluation of MBG governance. He is targeting zero food poisoning cases, or zero accidents, in the implementation of the programme. ‘I hope the new kitchen moratorium is truly used to conduct a total evaluation and improve MBG governance and strict supervision so that poisoning cases no longer occur,’ he remarked. ‘This is to restore public trust in the MBG programme, which has a noble aim of improving the nutritional intake of school children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers,’ he added. Previously, BGN temporarily halted the registration of new kitchens for the MBG programme. This moratorium policy is one of the steps taken by the new BGN leadership in the context of budget efficiency and programme implementation restructuring. ‘The main thing we have discussed and prepared a work plan for is moving towards budget efficiency,’ said BGN Head Nanik S. Deyang during a press conference at the BGN building, Jakarta, on Thursday (4/6). Nanik explained that BGN has prepared four main steps to improve the implementation of the MBG programme. First, refocusing beneficiaries so the programme is better targeted. Second, the temporary suspension of new kitchen registrations and construction. ‘In the context of budget efficiency, the things we are doing are first, refocusing beneficiaries. Two, moratorium on new kitchen points,’ she stated.