Indonesia's Free Meal Program Poisoning Victims Reaches 1,833 a Week; Highest in East Java

October 6, 2025 | 01:03 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) reported an additional 1,833 victims of free nutritious meal program (MBG) poisonings within a week. These thousands of victims are an accumulation of cases of the poisonings from the free meal program that occurred from September 29 to October 4, 2025.

According to JPPI Coordinator Ubaid Matraji, the increase in poisoning cases this week is higher than the weekly average of victims in September, which reached 1,341 children per week. "With this addition, the total number of MBG poisoning victims as of October 4, 2025, has reached 10,482 children," he said in a statement released on Sunday, October 5, 2025.

Ubaid then detailed the five provinces with the highest poisoning cases this week. Currently, the province with the most cases is East Java with 620 victims, followed by West Java with 555, Central Java with 241, West Sumatra with 122, and East Nusa Tenggara with 100.

According to Ubaid, the high number of poisoning cases each week indicates that MBG poisoning cases do not occur solely due to negligence, but also due to neglect of child safety. The surge in poisoning victims also indicates that the government's steps to only close some of the nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG) have been ineffective in preventing poisonings.

Ubaid then argued that the only way to stop poisoning cases is to close all SPPGs. The government, he said, must inevitably close all MBG kitchens until the investigation and quality improvements are completed. "As long as the MBG kitchens are still operational, victims will continue to fall," he said.

Prior to this, in a cross-Ministry meeting on September 28, the government agreed to only close problematic SPPGs, while SPPGs that have never caused poisonings would remain operational. Instead, the government mandated all SPPGs to improve service quality and kitchen cleanliness by obtaining a Hygiene and Sanitation Eligibility Certificate (SLHS).

Although not under moratorium, Head of the National Nutrition Agency, Body Dadan Hindayana, affirmed that the government will improve the management of MBG as best as possible. "So that what the government provides is safe for consumption," Dadan said at the MPR/DPR (People's Consultative Assembly / House of Representatves) Building on Wednesday, October 1, 2025.

Ervana Trikanaputri contributed to the writing of this article.

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