Public Fears MBG Lunchboxes Could Spread TB, Here's Health Minister's Response

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has clarified his statement regarding tuberculosis (TBC) patients as recipients of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. He explained that it was not intended as a technical proposal for programme implementation, but rather a recommendation concerning the groups most in need of nutritional intervention. “Let me clarify so it doesn’t cause a stir. I was asked, to ensure it is well-targeted, who should receive additional nutrition? So as Health Minister, I said those with nutritional problems are pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, toddlers, and TB patients. Those are the ones with nutritional issues,” Budi told reporters at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Thursday, 25 June 2026. He stressed that the recommendation is based on scientific evidence and health studies showing these four groups have nutritional needs that must be optimally met. “There is already scientific evidence for this, the journals exist. So these four targets are the ones whose nutrition must be improved so we don’t spread ourselves too thin,” he said. Responding to concerns that providing MBG to TB patients could potentially pose a risk of transmission through food containers or lunchboxes, Budi stated this was a different technical matter and not yet the focus of current discussions. “The method, the execution, whether it will transmit the disease, that is another issue to be decided later,” he continued. Previously, Minister Budi had proposed that tuberculosis patients be included in the list of recipients for the Free Nutritious Meals programme. Budi revealed he was asked by Head of the National Nutrition Agency Nanik S Deyang about the priority groups that must receive MBG. He then proposed four groups. “I said, there are actually four groups that are vulnerable to nutritional deficiency from a health perspective,” Budi stated at the DPR Building in Central Jakarta on Tuesday, 23 June 2026. “First is pregnant women, second is breastfeeding mothers, third is toddlers under five years old, and fourth is people suffering from TB,” he added. He explained that based on research published in international journals, this approach has already been implemented in India and China. “People with TB undergo treatment for six to twelve months, during which their physical condition and immune system are weak,” Budi revealed.