MBG Poisoning Cases Under Scrutiny, Sudaryono Vows to Tighten Raw Material Standards

The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sudaryono, has confirmed that safety standards for raw materials in the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme will be tightened. The measure is part of an evaluation following a number of poisoning cases suspected to be linked to the programme in various regions. According to Sudaryono, the BGN is continuously monitoring incoming reports to determine the causes of the incidents while improving the programme’s implementation governance. “I understand a bit about this, because in the early days when we were discussing MBG, I was one of the people involved. Then, as Deputy Minister of Agriculture, we also had some overlap because it is related to the supply chain and so on,” Sudaryono said at the BGN Building on Wednesday (22/7/2026). Sudaryono explained that his experience as Deputy Minister of Agriculture gave him an understanding of the importance of the supply chain in ensuring the quality of food ingredients used in the MBG programme. Additionally, as Chairman of the Gerindra Party’s Regional Leadership Council (DPD) for Central Java, he claimed to frequently receive reports from cadres in the regions regarding various issues in the implementation of MBG. He said all of this input would serve as evaluation material for the BGN. One of the steps to be taken is tightening the safety and quality standards for raw materials used by food providers. According to him, the quality of raw materials is a crucial factor in preventing the recurrence of poisoning cases. “Because we learn from the poisoning factors and so on, it is not only the processing method, but also the raw materials which perhaps were not standardised or maybe the quality of the raw materials was not good,” he said. Sudaryono added that President Prabowo Subianto has directed that any problems arising in the implementation of the MBG programme be resolved without delay. “The specific target is to be effective, efficient, fast, and resolved quickly. So, the President’s one directive is, you have to run into the problem. We must be willing to run and solve the problem,” Sudaryono said.