MBG Program Continues To Have Problems, Don't Make Children Victims Of Political Experiments

JAKARTA Circulating a statement letter for parents does not demand that their child be sick or poisoned due to a free nutritious eating program (MBG) shows that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is irresponsible of the series of problems that occur in this program.

Recently, viral on social media, there was a statement letter containing a request for approval from parents of students not to sue if their child was poisoned by MBG.

The letter was addressed to the parents of SDN 7 Napo, Polewali Mandar, and MTs Negeri 2 Brebes. In the letter with the Brebes Ministry of Religion (Kemenag), it not only asks for the parents' approval to accept or refuse free food, but also emphasizes the existence of a series of risks that could arise.

According to the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI), this phenomenon is not just a procedure, but also evidence that there is an acute problem.

"This is proof that there is a mechanism that is wrong, not transparent, conflicts of interest, and has the potential to violate children's rights," said JPPI National Coordinator, Ubaid Matraji, in his statement to VOI.

In the photos circulating, there are at least six points that parents or guardians of students must agree to receive the MBG program. Student guardians are asked to be aware of and bear the risks that may arise at a later date, including if there is digestive disorders, allergic reactions to certain previously unidentified foodstuffs, as well as food poisoning caused by factors beyond the control of the school or committee.

On that basis, parents who receive the MBG program are asked not to legally prosecute the school or the committee as long as the organizers have carried out procedures according to applicable standards.

In fact, since its implementation in January, the MBG program has often encountered a number of problems. Starting from the reduced budget per portion, the nutritional value does not match the needs of children, until there are cases of poisoning.

According to records from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), there were 17 extraordinary incidents of food poisoning related to MBG in 10 provinces until May 2025. The causes vary, ranging from polluted raw materials, poor kitchen sanitation, to late distribution so that basic foods.

In the past month, hundreds of students in Lampung, Central Java, West Java, East Java, and Bengkulu were reported to have been poisoned after eating MBG. In Kupang, 200 junior high school students experienced symptoms of poisoning after eating MBG, while in Bombana, Southeast Sulawesi, 53 boxes of food were declared unfit for consumption.

Therefore, when a statement was circulated that parents did not have to bear the risk of the MBG program, National Coordinator of JPPI Ubaid Matraji considered this no longer just a procedure, but evidence of acute problems.

"This is proof that there is a wrong mechanism, not transparent, conflicts of interest, and has the potential to violate children's rights," said Ubaid.

He suspects that this kind of statement letter has actually spread to many schools and madrasas However, there is a clause that prohibits parents from opening cases, making the public rarely hear their complaints.

If it is true that there is a ban on parents from making demands when a problem occurs with MBG, Ubaid thinks this could be a major scandal. The state, he said, not only let go of hands and make children victims, but also the letter is a form of harassment against children's and parents' rights.

"If there are real victims, the state can no longer pretend to ignore it. BGN must be responsible, not even blame school or parents," said Ubaid.

With a statement letter that must be signed by parents, Ubaid assessed that this policy is a form of throwing responsibilities from upstream to downstream. Schools, madrasas, and parents are pressured to bear risks, while the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) is only a technical executor. Meanwhile, the central BGN is hiding behind political projects without a clear monitoring mechanism.

In fact, the scale of this program is very large. The 2025 APBN allocated IDR 71 trillion for MBG, with a target of millions of beneficiaries. As of March 2025, there have been 726 kitchens of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) operated in 38 provinces, serving around 2.5 million children.

With this amount of funds, according to Ubaid, there should be clear quality guarantees and monitoring mechanisms, not even making a statement that delegates risks to schools and parents.

In addition to security issues, MBG is also often hit by nutritional problems. In a number of reports, it is known that many MBG menus do not comply with balanced nutritional standards. Starting from too small portions, low quality materials, to minimal variety of menus. Not only that, the public was also surprised by the use of ultra-process food, which if consumed regularly is even risky for health.

This series of problems seems to contradict MBG's initial goal of reducing stunting.

For this reason, JPPI urges to revoke all problematic statements. In addition, regional supervision also needs to be strengthened. It takes BPOM, the health office, and civil society to be actively involved in this program.

BGN is also asked to take full responsibility for safety, transparency, and nutritional standards. Finally, Ubaid urged the government to evaluate and even temporarily suspend the MBG program so that it is truly a child's nutrition policy, not just a political project.

"If the government is serious about MBG, then there must be a clear guarantee of quality, transparency, and responsibility mechanisms from the center to schools. Do not make students victims of political experiments," concluded Ubaid.