BGN to Evaluate Free Nutritious Meal Program Every Day to Prevent Food Poisoning

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana informed the cause of the food poisoning in the menu (MBG) at Sukoharjo Elementary School, SDN Dukuh 03. Based on the evaluation results, the poisoning was due to technical errors by the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) in Sukoharjo.

According to Dadan, there was a problem with the cooking process, "It was not cooked yet," he said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.

He said the problem would be evaluated so that it does not recur. He would assess the MBG program every afternoon. 

Previously, Dadan said he would improve food safety procedures by involving the Food and Drug Administration (BPOM) in the MBG program. BPOM will be involved according to its main duties and functions to check the food quality. "BPOM plays a role in its main tasks and functions," he said.

The head of the Food and Drug Inspection Agency (BPOM), Taruna Ikrar, had previously revealed that the MBG program would require an additional budget if BPOM officers were to be deployed. As a result, he said he was still waiting for a written agreement in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) before formally participating in the free meal program.

"BPOM is involved, but not yet official," said Taruna when we met at BPOM on Friday, January 17, 2025.

BPOM is needed to ensure there is layered supervision of the MBG food quality before it is consumed in large quantities by the public. This is to prevent the incident from happening again.

Food poisoning hit 40 students of Sukoharjo Elementary School, SDN Dukuh 03, in Central Java after eating the MBG menu on Thursday, January 16, 2025. Ten of them suffered from nausea and were immediately treated by local officials.

They ate a chicken dish. Dadan said that after learning that some students were experiencing nausea, all the chicken was withdrawn and replaced with eggs. The nauseous students were treated by officials and recovered. 

The school headmaster, Lilik Kurniasih, said the poisoning happened at around 9:30 am. The food arrived at the school at 9 a.m. The students ate the food, then some students felt nauseous and dizzy. "Some felt nauseous and dizzy, and there was one child who vomited," Antara reported. 

She said that ten of 200 students felt nauseous after eating. According to Lilik, the students who felt the symptoms were from grades 1 to 6. They also claimed to smell a stale odor from the chicken that was the side dish of the menu.

Eka Yudha Saputra and Hanin Marwah contributed to this report.

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