Speaking to the media on Friday, Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus said there are currently 10,700 kitchens registered under the program, officially known as Nutrition Fulfillment Units (SPPG). Of the total, 2,500 have been inspected, while around 2,000 are still awaiting laboratory results before certificates can be issued.
“The lab results usually take about five to seven days,” Paulus said.
He urged all SPPG kitchens to apply for certification, emphasizing that under the new regulation, local health offices will not permit operations if hygiene and sanitation standards are not met.
Paulus stressed that key aspects such as environmental cleanliness, sanitation, and water quality must be maintained to ensure food safety and prevent future poisoning incidents in the national nutrition program.
“We will continue to push this effort, as I was assigned by Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and President Prabowo Subianto to oversee the program,” he said.
He confirmed that the program will continue while the government strengthens monitoring and corrective measures, responding to calls from some groups to temporarily suspend MBG following recent poisoning cases.
“It would be unfortunate to suspend it when many areas have no issues. Imagine if one kitchen has a problem, but 10 thousand others are forced to stop - that would be unreasonable,” Paulus stated.
To further strengthen preventive measures, the Health Ministry has recommended that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) assign environmental health experts to help monitor food safety standards.
On the same occasion, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin called on all parties to support the MBG program, noting that providing proper nutrition can resolve up to 40–50 percent of health problems.
“Nutrition is linked to tuberculosis, stunting, infections, and maternal as well as infant mortality,” Sadikin said.
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Reporter: Mecca Yumna Ning Prisie
Editor: Primayanti
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