Risk Mitigation Is Very Important Amid The Incidents Of MBG Toxic Victims

JAKARTA The food poisoning case from the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program has attracted widespread attention. The Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI) invites the public to carry out mitigation to prevent similar incidents in the future.

The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network noted that from January to mid-September 2025, no less than 5,360 children were poisoned due to the MBG program. JPPI National Coordinator Ubaid Matraji believes that the number can be greater because so far there has been no transparency from either schools or local governments.

The West Bandung Regency Government even named a case of mass poisoning as an Extraordinary Event on Tuesday (23/9), after hundreds of students were found to have been poisoned.

Head of IDAI Dr. dr. Piprim Basarah Yanuarso, Sp.A, Subsp. Cardio (K) expressed his concern over the thousands of victims of poisoned children after consuming the MBG menu. He hopes that similar poisoning can be prevented considering that the MBG program is still ongoing.

He said that systematic handling steps were needed to overcome food poisoning. MBG, said Piprim, actually has a good purpose in providing nutritional intake to students. However, technical implementation needs to be guarded so as not to deviate from the original goal.

"Don't let us ignore the prevention of this poisoning so that naudzubillah suddenly appears as a victim of life. We really don't expect this," he said.

The MBG program continues to receive attention because of a number of unpleasant incidents for its recipients. The case of poisoning after eating food from President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program has become the national news headline in recent weeks.

In Banggai, Southeast Sulawesi, as many as 251 food poisoning students, then in Garut and Bandung more than 800 students experienced similar problems. This poisoning incident occurred in just a week.

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) suspects that there are two causes of food poisoning that have recently occurred in the MBG program, one of which is due to allergies to certain foods, such as shrimp, eggs, or tuna fish.

Deputy Head of BGN Nanik Sudaryati Deyang claimed that a number of children who were victims of poisoning were proven to have food allergies.

Head of the IDAI's Child Intensive Emergency and Therapy Coordination Unit (UKK ETIA) Yogi Prawira said that poisoning is different from food allergies. Poisoning occurs due to consuming contaminated food and drinks, both from bacteria, parasitic toxins, viruses, and chemicals. Yogi also said that poisoning can cause extraordinary events because one food source can pollute many people.

While allergies are reactions to the body's immune system to certain proteins in foods that are considered harmful to a person's body. However, for other individuals who do not have allergies, the body's reactions will be fine.

Doctor Piprim agrees with Yogi's statement that what happened some time ago was not an allergy, but food poisoning.

What has happened in recent times which has been excited in the media is indeed food poisoning, not food allergies. Because, this happened at the same time and about thousands of children," he said, in an online media discussion, Thursday (25/9/2025).

Food poisoning, as experienced by thousands of children receiving the MBG program, is due to various things. Some of the bacteria that are often reported to be the cause are SALmonella, E Colli, Listeria, and Clostridium botulinum.

In addition, some are caused by the virus, one of which is Hepatitis A. Another cause is parasitics and chemicals.

The human body, said Yogi, actually has a self-defense mechanism. So, when you receive food or drink intake that is contaminated, the body will respond to it to remove it, through nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, defecation (BAB), and even sometimes to a bloody defecation.

In addition, more systemic symptoms can also arise that not only interfere with the digestive tract, but also cause fever, especially if caused by bacteria or toxins. Other symptoms include headaches and blurred views for certain poisonings, one of which is caused by the bacterial Clostridium botulinum.

From these symptoms, Yogi emphasized one thing to watch out for, namely signs of dehydration due to vomiting and diarrhea.

"So, when you look at mukosa, dry mouth, the child asks for continuous drinking, dizziness, and the color of the urine is more concentrated, there may already be dehydration and the condition can be dangerous," he said.

Given that cases of poisoning due to MBG are very high, it is important to educate parents and teachers to understand the symptoms and treat food poisoning experienced by children.

The first aid that must be done for children who are poisoned is to rest first to help recover. In this situation, Yogi said it was important to give them a little drink but often to replace the fluid that came out.

After vomiting and diarrhea stops, children can be given soft snacks in small portions, such as porridge, bananas, and bread. However, he reminded parents or teachers not to give medicines that could stop diarrhea. If this is done, it will actually hold back the issuance of bacteria or toxins that contain food and drinks from within the body.

As for prevention, parents, teachers, or officers at school need to be educated to recognize food and drinks that are not suitable for consumption. For example, observing changes in the color or structure of the food.

"What should be solid softens, what should be fluid becomes clumpy, then maybe it becomes separate," he said.

Basically, Yogi still supports the MBG program, but given the poisoning cases that reached nearly 6,000 children, he emphasized the importance of mitigating to be better in the future.

"Of course we support the government's program (MBG). However, when an extraordinary incident occurs, it is time for us to mitigate and study together, what is it that we can improve in the future," he said.