Member Of Commission IX DPR Urges BGN On Strict Sanctions For MBG Menu Providers Who Violate Food Security

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IX of the House of Representatives Nurhadi urged the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to impose strict sanctions on food providers in the Nutrition Production Center (SPPG) program which is proven to violate the food safety standards of the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program.

He emphasized that if violations continue to repeat itself, strict action is absolutely carried out to ensure the safety of the program's beneficiaries.

"I think it is time for a strict punishment mechanism to be applied to SPPG providers who are proven to have violated food safety standards, especially if these violations are repeated. This concerns the safety of children," said Nurhadi, Tuesday, May 6.

According to Nurhadi, violating food safety standards is not only a technical matter, but concerns public trust. For this reason, he asked BGN to dare to evaluate and impose sanctions on MBG's disciplinary provider partners.

"Do not let government programs with good intentions harm children because of weak supervision. BGN must dare to evaluate and stop cooperation with non-compliant partners," he said.

Nurhadi also encouraged BGN to form a special supervision unit that periodically evaluates the performance of providers, including opening public complaint channels so that the public can participate in supervising the quality of the food distributed.

"Transparency and firmness will strengthen BGN's credibility and ensure the sustainability of the national SPPG program," he said.

On the other hand, Nurhadi appreciated BGN's swift steps in dealing with various problems related to the nutrition food program, especially food poisoning incidents that occurred in several areas.

According to him, the quick and coordinative response from BGN is proof that this institution is not only reactive, but also adaptive to emergency situations involving public food security.

"I express my appreciation to the National Nutrition Agency for the quick response and swift steps in handling food poisoning incidents in various regions. This proves that BGN is capable of acting appropriately in critical situations," said Nurhadi.

Nurhadi also welcomed the payment system update to provider partners through a principle-based virtual account scheme at cost. He considered, this system is more transparent, accountable and efficient.

"But don't let this good system get stuck in the field due to weak verification," he said.

Nurhadi also highlighted the readiness of human resources in BGN in carrying out increasingly complex payment validation and verification processes, along with the increasing number of SPPG kitchens. He questioned the ratio of verifier officers to the number of active kitchens, and assessed the importance of regulating the ideal workload to ensure the accuracy of the report.

"With the increasing number of SPPG kitchens, we have to ask, is it enough for human resources to verify? Now one officer is accompanying how many kitchens? And ideally one person should hold it?" asked Nurhadi.

Based on the data it has, there are more than 1,200 active kitchens, most of which are managed by MSMEs. Nurhadi also encouraged BGN not to focus on providing food, but also to make this program a work creation machine, one of which is by recruiting local workers to manage the canteen and school kitchen.

According to Nurhadi, BGN must think more than just food distribution but also build food independence and a community-based economy. BGN should not only procure food, but must be a driving force for a strong and inclusive local food ecosystem," he said.

"This is not just a matter of the kitchen, this is a matter of empowerment. If local residents are involved, they will feel that this program belongs to them. If BGN could be a driving force for the local nutrition ecosystem, that would be extraordinary," concluded Nurhadi.