Held in Sukabumi on October 4–5, the capacity-building activity was organized in response to public concerns over food safety following recent reports of residents suffering health problems after consuming MBG meals in several regions.
“Food safety is key to ensuring public health. We hope all food handlers will become more disciplined in applying hygiene and sanitation standards to prevent meal contamination,” BGN Director of Provision and Distribution Nurjaeni noted in a statement here on Sunday.
He underlined the crucial role of food handlers in ensuring that the MBG program consistently provides safe and nutritious meals free from harmful components that could threaten beneficiaries’ health.
To prevent future poisoning cases, Nurjaeni emphasized that all SPPGs must employ certified cooks, conduct food safety tests, and use water filters before utilizing well or tap water for non-cooking purposes.
Furthermore, MBG kitchens are required to use gallon-packaged water for cooking, sterilize food trays, and obtain certificates of compliance with hygiene and sanitation standards, hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), and halal requirements.
“It is important that every kitchen is supported by nutritionists and equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure transparency and continuous monitoring,” he stated.
BGN remains committed to enhancing the competence of those responsible for food safety to ensure that the MBG program fulfills its goal of improving public health while minimizing risks.
Since its launch on January 6, the MBG program has served more than 30 million people nationwide through over 10 thousand SPPGs developed by BGN in collaboration with partners, including the National Police (Polri).
Regarding the recent poisoning outbreak, BGN Head Dadan Hindayana explained that most incidents were caused by the failure of certain SPPGs to comply with agency safety standards. Over 50 kitchens have been suspended as a result.
In response, President Prabowo has ordered all MBG kitchens to conduct safety tests before distributing meals and is expected to soon sign a presidential regulation to strengthen the program’s governance.
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Translator: Lintang B, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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