National Nutrition Agency halts operations of food services over quality concerns
Bogor City - Dadan Hindayana, head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), announced that the agency is suspending the operations of several Nutrition Service Units (SPPG) as an evaluation measure following discovered food quality issues in the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG).
The statement was made during a press conference on the MBG programme at SPPG Cibuluh 1 in Bogor City, West Java, on Saturday.
According to Dadan, the operational suspension serves as oversight of food quality standards distributed to beneficiaries. The duration of suspension will be determined based on the severity of problems found in the field.
“We suspend the operations of SPPG units that experience incidents, and the duration of suspension depends on how severe the case is,” Dadan said.
He explained that the evaluation was conducted following reports of health disturbances allegedly linked to food quality. In BGN’s records, one incident is calculated per service unit, whilst the number of affected beneficiaries may vary.
Dadan stated that in the previous period, approximately 50 SPPG units experienced incidents, with beneficiaries suffering digestive disturbances reaching approximately 1,200 people. This figure subsequently decreased to around 40 incidents after improvements and stricter supervision were implemented.
Additionally, the agency requested that SPPG units clarify information on menus, nutritional values, and food component prices to ensure more transparent presentation and easier evaluation.
Dadan emphasised that food materials used in the MBG programme remain directed towards locally-sourced resources; however, quality is the primary priority. Should unsuitable food materials be discovered, implementing agencies are instructed to postpone distribution rather than force the delivery of food with poor quality.
He added that BGN does not hesitate to suspend the operations of service units deemed not to meet standards, as part of efforts to maintain food safety and public confidence in the programme.
The MBG programme itself is a government intervention in the field of nutrition targeting pregnant women, nursing mothers, infants, and school-age students in an effort to strengthen the quality of Indonesia’s human resources.