Ombudsman Opens Complaint Channel Following Discovery of Unfit Food in Free Nutritious Meal Programme

The Ombudsman’s Representative Office in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) has opened a complaint channel to facilitate citizen reports regarding findings within the Free Nutritious Meal (Makan Bergizi Gratis, MBG) programme. The move comes after numerous incidents of unsafe food have been discovered in recent times, ranging from rotten pudding to maggot-infested dates.

“I encourage the public to actively report through the channel and also report to the Ombudsman. We are opening channels for complaints, so please come forward if you have any reports related to MBG,” said Dwi Sudarsono, Head of the Ombudsman’s Representative Office in NTB, when met in Mataram on Monday (2 March 2026).

Specifically in Mataram City, Dwi stated that only 2-3 cases of unfit food have been discovered in the MBG programme so far, including the discovery of rotten pudding at SDN 2 Cakranegara and rotting apples at SDN 34 Ampenan.

It is known that two Nutrition Services Fulfilment Units (SPPG) in Mataram have temporarily closed following the discovery of unsuitable food. The Ombudsman is currently investigating the cases.

“We hope there will not only be closures, but there must also be evaluation. This becomes a problem—food poisoning results in no sanctions, damaged food quality results in no sanctions,” said Dwi.

“There should be firmness, with sanctions appropriate to the level of error committed by kitchen managers and SPPG,” he added.

Yusuf, Head of the Mataram City Education Office, has urged the Ombudsman to provide closure recommendations for SPPG units that commit violations. According to him, such sanctions are important as they concern the safety and health of beneficiaries of the MBG programme.

“Therefore, the Ombudsman’s Representative Office in NTB is the final gateway to provide recommendations that SPPG must be closed,” said Yusuf.

It was previously reported that a video of the MBG menu distributed to students at a junior secondary school (SMP) in Mataram City went viral on social media. The reason: the dates distributed to students were infested with maggots.