Improve MBG Quality: Kemayoran SPPG Applies Consumption Time Labels

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) Kemayoran Harapan Mulia 1 in Central Jakarta continues to improve the quality of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG) by providing labels on meal containers indicating the best consumption time. “We have also recommended labelling on the containers so that the food is consumed at most within three hours,” said the Head of SPPG Kemayoran Harapan Mulia 1, Fakhri Irfan Pribadi, in Jakarta on Tuesday. On the first day of MBG operations resuming after the Eid holiday in 2026, SPPG Kemayoran Harapan Mulia 1 served 3,298 beneficiaries, from school students to pregnant women, nursing mothers, and toddlers. Today’s menu consisted of nasi uduk, soy sauce chicken, green chilli tofu, stir-fried carrots and corn, as well as watermelon. As part of improvement and evaluation efforts, SPPG Kemayoran Harapan Mulia 1 continues to enhance food quality, enrich menus to meet the nutritional adequacy standards for beneficiaries, and maintain the hygiene of volunteers. “Food safety, the competence of human resources or volunteers regarding food safety is also continuously improved, along with nutrition education, evaluation related to waste processing and environmental cleanliness, as well as sanitation,” said Fakhri. He also assured that the food has been sample-tested before being given to beneficiaries, including organoleptic testing or sensory evaluation using human senses to ensure the colour, texture, taste, aroma, and form of the served food comply with the standard operating procedures and technical guidelines of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). “For sample testing, usually before distribution, there is organoleptic testing, which is conducted together with the head of SPPG and nutrition experts, so before distribution to beneficiaries, if in the organoleptic test there is an unpleasant smell, texture, or aroma, it can be withdrawn so as not to be distributed,” he explained. To anticipate children with allergies, nutritionists from SPPG continue to coordinate with field assistants and schools to register which students are vulnerable to certain types of food. “So we first record any allergies among the beneficiaries. For example, if they previously did not like fish, that student is replaced with chicken,” said Fakhri. “Partners who wildly mark up prices and pressure the head of SPPG, nutrition supervisors, and financial supervisors will be requested by the deputy for monitoring and supervision to be suspended without incentives, as it constitutes a serious violation,” he said. Nanik reminded again that the budget per MBG portion is Rp8,000-10,000. Mark-up actions on raw materials not only harm the programme but also undermine the main objective of providing nutritional services to the community. According to her, partners who have received incentives should work according to the rules, not seek excessive profits.