Rat in MBG Box Causes Uproar at SMKN 8 Semarang, Some Food Contaminated

A rat emerging from a box containing free nutritious meals (MBG) at SMKN 8 Semarang has gone viral on social media. The rat had already eaten some of the boxes.

The video became viral after being uploaded by an Instagram account, @dinaskegelapan_kotasemarang. In the video, several female students in the class were briefly panicked upon seeing the rat emerge from the MBG transport box used for meal distribution.

When contacted for confirmation, Dian Nirmala Santi, a student affairs staff member at SMKN 8 Semarang, verified the incident. She explained that it began with a report from Year 11 students at SMKN 8 Semarang on Tuesday (31/3/2026).

“Initially, a student reported a rat emerging from the MBG box via a video in the group chat. The rat was also caught,” said Dian via text message, as reported by detikJateng.

She stated that the school requested the return of one box containing 35 meal packages to the nutrition fulfilment service unit (SPPG). However, before it was retrieved, it was discovered that some of the food in the box had already been consumed by students.

“The students came down carrying the box and the captured rat. However, it turned out that some had already been eaten,” she explained.

Hanung Triyono, Secretary of the Central Java MBG Acceleration Team, also confirmed the incident. He emphasised that the complaint received was not about a rat inside the meal packages, but inside the delivery box.

“The complaint that came to our field assistant was not about finding a rat in the meal package, but in the box,” said Hanung via text message to detikJateng.

Based on the report he received from the relevant SPPG, the entire box of 35 MBG packages was immediately withdrawn and replaced with a new one.

“The school has received it and expressed their thanks,” he said.