Presidential Chief of Staff Reveals Cause of MBG Food Poisoning in East Jakarta: Spaghetti Sauce Turns Sour, Meatball Aroma Changes

Jakarta, VIVA – The Presidential Chief of Staff (KSP), Muhammad Qodari, spoke out about the cause of the food poisoning in the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme in East Jakarta (Jaktim) on Friday, 3 April 2026. Qodari stated that the incident was triggered by food being consumed beyond the safe time limit after packaging. “Consumption of food exceeding the safe limit, 4 hours after packaging,” Qodari said during a press conference on Wednesday, 15 April 2026. In addition, Qodari noted that the incident was also caused by spoilage of food ingredients. One of them was the spaghetti sauce that turned sour. “As well as indications of food ingredient spoilage marked by a sour aroma in the spaghetti sauce, changes in the aroma of the meatballs, and the condition of the strawberries,” he explained. Qodari continued that the incident was also triggered by infrastructure aspects. “Storage room temperature above 20 degrees, no temperature monitoring equipment available in the warehouse, chemical storage facilities and wastewater treatment installation not yet meeting standards, as well as employee lockers that are not representative,” Qodari concluded.