Temporary suspension of 492 SPPGs in the Sumatra region
A total of 492 SPPG units in the Sumatra region have been temporarily closed, or will commence on 9 March 2026, with no end date specified. The policy was taken because, to date, hundreds of kitchens have not registered the Hygiene and Sanitation Eligibility Certificate (SLHS).
Director of Monitoring and Regional Supervision I at the National Nutrition Agency (Badan Gizi Nasional), Harjito, said the temporary closure was a step to enforce standards of safety and suitability of kitchens in implementing the Free Nutritious Meal Programme (MBG).
According to Harjito, all SPPG units that have operated are required to meet hygiene and sanitation standards, including through the process of registering and verifying SLHS at the local health office.
‘Suspend this is a corrective measure so that all kitchens operating truly meet health and food safety standards,’ Harjito said in an official statement on Saturday, 7 March 2026.
Harjito said the provision applies to kitchens that have operated more than 30 days, but have not registered for the SLHS. ‘We are giving all SPPG units the opportunity to promptly complete administrative obligations and sanitation standards. After the registration and verification process is completed, operations can be reopened,’ he said.
Data as of 11:00 on 7 March 2026 show there were 492 SPPG in the Sumatra region that had not registered for the SLHS. The figure is an aggregate of reports from the Regional Coordinator for Sumatra who conducted direct monitoring of MBG kitchen operations in each province.
The provinces with the most unregistered SPPGs were North Sumatra with 252 kitchens, followed by Lampung 77, Aceh 76, West Sumatra 69, Riau 9, Kepulauan Riau 5, and Bengkulu 4. Meanwhile Jambi, South Sumatra, and the Bangka Belitung Islands were recorded as having no unregistered kitchens.
Harjito added that the suspension policy is also part of efforts to strengthen quality monitoring of MBG services targeting public nutrition, particularly schoolchildren. ‘This programme concerns public health, so food safety standards must not be compromised,’ he said.
Harjito also urged all affected SPPG operators to immediately coordinate with the local health office to accelerate the SLHS registration process. ‘We hope SPPG operators will promptly meet the requirements so that services can resume and the MBG programme benefits can continue to be felt by the public,’ he concluded.