Deputy Chair of Commission IX Urges Change to Free Nutritious Meal Model Following Food Poisoning Incident in Sidoarjo
The Deputy Chair of Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR), Charles Honoris, has responded to the case of more than 500 students at the Manbaul Hikam Islamic Boarding School in Tanggulangin, Sidoarjo, East Java, who allegedly suffered food poisoning after consuming the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) menu. Charles has called on the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to improve its operations.
Charles believes there is a flaw in the implementation model of the MBG currently being run by the BNS. He emphasised that this is no longer an issue involving individual Food Service Implementation Units (SPPG).
“Because they are applying a single implementation model that is not ideal to run. This is no longer just an issue with individual kitchens. It has become a systemic problem,” Charles stated on Thursday (3/9/2026).
Charles asserted that there is no choice other than to overhaul the MBG model. “Therefore, the government has no choice but to change the implementation model. Otherwise, poisoning cases will continue to occur,” he added.
He maintained that he had voiced concerns regarding the MBG implementation model from the beginning. He noted that the poisoning issue is actually quite simple.
“The problem is simple: cooked food has a safe time limit before consumption. When the process of cooking, packaging, and distribution until the food is consumed is too long and exceeds the critical time of approximately 4 hours without adequate temperature control, the risk of bacterial growth increases significantly,” he explained.
“Therefore, if the same case continues to recur, it means the model must be evaluated. Since the beginning, I have been pushing for the MBG to shift to a school-based kitchen model or as close as possible to the beneficiaries. Food should be cooked closer to the time and place of consumption so that the distribution chain is much shorter. Schools and parents could also be involved in supervision,” he continued.
According to him, after more than a year of operation, if poisoning cases continue to recur, a fundamental change must be made. “The government must implement fundamental changes,” he added.
Explanation from the National Nutrition Agency
Previously, the Deputy for Monitoring and Supervision of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Ketut Sumedana, revealed the cause of the poisoning of hundreds of students at the Manbaul Hikam Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java. Ketut stated there was negligence in the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for MBG distribution.
“It was due to indiscipline within the SPPG and the distribution process. The loading process should be completed within 4 hours from cooking to distribution. However, the fact on the ground is that it took more than 4 hours,” Ketut told reporters on Thursday (3/9).
“That is what caused the poisoning, because the MBG does not use preservatives. Therefore, it spoils easily, and bacteria can develop quickly,” he continued.
Ketut noted that the BGN has established monitoring rules to be conducted twice daily. These rules require inspections at 5:00 PM when ingredients arrive and at 2:00 AM during the cooking process.
“Every day, twice a day, we conduct MBG readiness checks, starting at 2:00 AM and then at 5:00 PM. Those are crucial times for ingredient selection; 5:00 PM is when they arrive, and cooking starts at 2:00 AM,” he said.
“In reality, there are still cases in some regions where the heads of SPPG, including PICs and even schools, are not timely in distributing the MBG, exceeding the established time limits,” he added.