KPPG: Mekarsari SPPG Closed Due to Inadequate Facilities

Tanjungpinang (ANTARA) - The Food and Nutrition Service Office (KPPG) for the Riau, Sumbar and Kepulauan Riau (Kepri) Regions said that the Mekarsari Street SPPG in Tanjungpinang City was temporarily closed due to inadequacies in its facilities and infrastructure. “One of them is the absence of a Wastewater Treatment Installation (IPAL),” said KPPG head for Riau, Sumbar and Kepri Syartiwidya, contacted in Tanjungpinang, Kepri, on Wednesday. IPAL ensures fats and food residues are treated so as not to pollute the environment, as part of health standards, environmental safety, and operational compliance. “The Mekarsari SPPG operator must rectify the deficiencies; once everything is in place we will issue the operating letter again,” he said. Syartiwidya emphasised that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) focus at the moment is to overhaul the MBG program service system comprehensively. Any SPPG found to have nonconformities in operational or food safety aspects will be evaluated immediately and halted temporarily until improvements are made. “The principle is not merely to stop, but to ensure quality and safety of the service. If it meets standards again, it will of course be allowed to operate,” he added. Meanwhile, SPPG coordinator for Tanjungpinang Retno stated that to date there have been no reports of health problems among those who consumed meals from Mekarsari SPPG. She also reminded all SPPG operators in the Tanjungpinang area not to ignore provisions regarding the suitability of foods produced under the MBG program. Based on on-site observations, the Mekarsari SPPG facility located in Pinang Kencana sub-district appears no longer to be conducting production activities. Several vehicles typically used to distribute MBG are still parked in the front yard of the building.