Lampung's Free Nutritious Meal Task Force: Condition of 33 People Suffering from Food Poisoning Improving

Bandarlampung (ANTARA) - The head of the Lampung province’s Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Task Force, Saipul, said that the condition of 33 people who experienced food poisoning from the MBG program in Tulang Bawang Regency is improving.

“Last night, according to reports, there were only eight victims, but this morning there were 33. However, they have all been treated,” said Saipul in Bandarlampung on Wednesday.

He said that the condition of all the food poisoning victims has improved and they are under treatment.

“I received a report this afternoon that they have all been treated at various locations, some in hospitals, some in clinics, and some in community health centres. And their condition has improved; there are no longer any severe cases,” he said.

He explained that they are currently awaiting a report on the specific type of food that caused the poisoning.

According to him, they have also established communication and coordination with the regency and city governments to ensure that similar incidents do not occur again.

“We will continue to carry out supervision, but the main supervision should be carried out by the head of the SPPG (School Food Provisioning Unit) and the nutritionists; this is where the supervision should be stricter. So, if it is said to be weak, then the weakness lies here,” he added.

He said that the SPPG kitchens are also being asked to have a certificate of good hygiene and sanitation (SLHS) to ensure food quality.

“Accelerating the processing of the SLHS is indeed our target; it should be obtained within one month of operation. However, the problem is that not all SPPGs immediately take care of it. Therefore, the SPPG should submit a proposal first, rather than not submitting one at all,” he said.

A total of 33 people, consisting of five toddlers, 14 children, one elderly person, and 13 adults, reportedly experienced symptoms of food poisoning such as nausea, vomiting, and frequent bowel movements, allegedly after eating salted eggs in the MBG package served by the Menggala Tengah SPPG on Tuesday (February 24) along with other menu items, namely homemade bread, wafers, and oranges.