Indonesian Political, Business & Finance News

BGN Urges the SPPG Not to React Reflexively to Wild Narratives on Social Media: Focus on Quality

| By Dani Prabowo | Source: KOMPAS Translated from Indonesian | Social Policy
BGN Urges the SPPG Not to React Reflexively to Wild Narratives on Social Media: Focus on Quality
Image: KOMPAS

Jakarta, KOMPAS.com - The National Nutrition Agency (Badan Gizi Nasional, BGN) has urged the Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG) not to respond reflexively to wild narratives on social media regarding the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG).

Deputy Head of BGN, Nanik S Deyang, cited several incidents that went viral on social media, such as allegations of foreign objects found in food and concerns about food poisoning in several areas. However, after verification, some of these incidents did not fully align with the narratives circulating on social media.

BGN hopes that the Sarjana Penggerak Pembangunan Indonesia (SPPI) not only run the programme effectively but also possess strong communication capabilities to convey accurate information to the public and counter misinformation that could affect public trust in the MBG programme.

Nanik then cited one MBG programme menu that went viral on social media for allegedly consisting only of noodles and a single banana. After confirmation with the SPPG and the beneficiary schools, it was found that the menu also included chicken.

Another case involved a widely circulated video showing opposition to the MBG programme at MTs 4 and MAN 8 in Cilincing, North Jakarta. After verification, it was found that in the Cilincing area there are no schools named MTs 4 or MAN 8.

There was also a widely reported case in Purworejo, Central Java, initially linked to MBG, but further investigation showed it related to food consumed at a community hajatan event.

“The cooking uses various modern tools, yet there are still cases of poisoning, right? Actually, in my view it is not poisoning; in my view, it’s more about governance systems,” she said.

Nanik also reminded the SPPG of the importance of food sanitation standards, especially regarding the use of water heaters during the washing process of ompreng in MBG kitchens, as part of efforts to maintain the hygiene of the eating utensils used in the MBG programme.

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