NU Chairman Calls for More Integrity in Free Nutritious Meal Programme Management

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — The Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), KH Abdul Hakim Mahfudz (Gus Kikin), has supported an evaluation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme with more integrity in its management.

Gus Kikin made the statement in response to the MBG food poisoning case at the Manbaul Hikam Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, which left hundreds of pupils hospitalised.

“Integrity is key. If everyone is responsible for their activities and their work, then hopefully incidents like this MBG poisoning case will not happen again. It comes down to integrity — each of us must be accountable for our activities and for the rules applied within them,” he said.

According to him, the MBG poisoning case is one among many such incidents, and therefore improvements to the programme’s governance must continue, whilst retaining the good practices already implemented at Nutrition Service Provision Units (SPPG) that have succeeded in boarding schools.

“It is just one incident among many, so we must keep going, because the boarding schools must keep running,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Romo Muhammad Syafii has called for an investigation into the suspected food poisoning suffered by pupils of the Manbaul Hikam boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, to determine the cause.

“This kitchen has been supplying meals to these children for almost a year, and the problem has only emerged now, so we certainly need to investigate what actually happened,” the Deputy Minister said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday (4/9/2026).

He made the remarks whilst visiting pupils still receiving treatment at R.T. Notopuro Regional General Hospital in Sidoarjo.

Eight patients were under treatment at the time of his visit. Of that number, five were allowed to return home, whilst the remaining three still required care.

According to him, the complaints reported by the pupils related to stomach discomfort and nausea, but their conditions were not severe. “Eight are being treated. According to the hospital director, five will be discharged today, leaving three. The children did complain of stomach aches and nausea, but nothing too serious,” the Deputy Minister said.