Head of BGN Urges Public to Be Cautious of Business Offers Using MBG Programme Name

Jakarta — The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, has called on the public to be cautious of business offers using the name of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG) and requesting money or other forms of payment.

“I urge the public to always be prudent and vigilant against various business offers, including offers to participate in the MBG Programme,” he said when contacted by ANTARA via message in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Dadan emphasised that fraudsters proven to be using the MBG Programme’s name will be reported and subject to strict legal action.

“If the person is known with a clear address, the matter will be processed according to procedure. If it is clearly fraud, it will be reported to law enforcement,” he said.

The BGN has discovered widespread fraud using the name of the nation’s priority programme for improving nutritional quality, employing various tactics. One such scheme, described by Deputy Head of BGN Sony Sanjaya, involves enticement to buy and sell points of Nutrition Service Provision Units (SPPG) or MBG kitchens by individuals requesting certain fees.

“The system is now closed, so be wary of people claiming registration is still possible because we can deploy directly. I once received a video of someone circulating information about buying and selling points valued at Rp200 million. So I immediately identified the ID, deployed it so that those who had already paid would suffer losses,” Sony said.

Sony urged members of the public who receive such enticements to immediately report to the BGN so action can be taken. Reports can be made through the call centre 127, also known as the Interactive Nutrition Complaint Centre (SAGI). The centre handles all criticism, suggestions, and complaints related to the MBG Programme to improve its quality and governance in the future.

The latest alleged fraud case using the MBG Programme name involved a woman from Pondok Permata Housing, Babelan District, Bekasi. The defrauded victim reportedly deposited tens of millions of rupiah. The perpetrator’s scheme involved enticing victims to open an SPPG with promises of returns many times the investment.