Free Nutritious Meals Labelled: Must Be Consumed Within Four Hours of Cooking to Prevent Poisoning

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has implemented the use of labels in the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. Every meal distributed to beneficiaries now includes a label indicating the maximum time limit for consumption.

BGN Head Sudaryono stated that meals provided by the nutrition fulfilment service units (SPPG) must be consumed within a maximum of four hours after cooking. This time limit is printed on the label attached to the MBG. Therefore, all beneficiaries are urged to check the label to ensure the meal is still safe before eating it.

“If it has exceeded the specified time, we respectfully request that it not be consumed. I repeat, do not consume it if it has passed the designated time limit,” he said in a video statement on Monday (10/8/2026).

He also appealed to students not to take the MBG distributed at school back home. Teachers are likewise asked to remind children to consume the meals at school, rather than finishing them at home.

Sudaryanto assessed that MBG taken home carries a high risk of causing food poisoning. There is no guarantee that the quality of the meal remains good once the consumption time limit has passed.

“In several poisoning cases we have found, even the parents of students who consumed the MBG at home subsequently suffered from food poisoning,” he stated.

He affirmed that his agency will continue to strengthen oversight to ensure that every MBG distributed remains safe. However, he also called on the public to participate in monitoring so that this priority programme of President Prabowo Subianto can run optimally.