Commission IX Of The House Of Representatives Urges BGN To Complete Evaluation Of Governance Of Free Nutritious Eating Programs

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Putih Sari, urged the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to immediately conduct a thorough evaluation of the management of the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program. This pressure arose following the increase in cases of poisoning experienced by a number of students after eating food from the program in recent weeks.

"The big benefits of this program must be maintained and not eroded by poor governance in the field," said Putih in a statement in Jakarta, Saturday, September 27.

He emphasized the need for detailed evaluation from upstream to downstream, starting from the source and storage of raw materials, cooking processes, quality control, packaging, to distribution to schools. According to him, food safety standards (food safety) and contamination prevention must be a major concern at every stage.

In addition to the security aspect, Putih also highlighted the importance of maintaining nutritional balance in each portion of food. He emphasized that the main goal of the MBG program is to ensure that children get a safe and balanced nutritious intake, so that the quality of nutrition should not be compromised.

"Cases of poisoning should not be considered mere statistics. The safety of beneficiaries must be a top priority. The standard for implementing MBG must be zero accident," said Putih.

For this reason, he encouraged BGN to coordinate closely with the Ministry of Health and the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) to establish food safety standardization in the program.

Putih assessed that the MBG program is a long-term investment that plays an important role in improving the quality of Indonesia's human resources through the fulfillment of nutrition from an early age. In addition, this program activity also has a positive impact on the regional economy through the absorption of agricultural, fishery products, and job creation.

The benefits of this program have been felt and have received good reception from the community. Not only by millions of beneficiaries, but also farmers, fishermen, workers, and business actors," he explained.

Therefore, he assessed that the termination of the program would actually harm the wider community. What is needed, he continued, is a comprehensive improvement in governance so that the MBG program returns to its original destination according to President Prabowo Subianto's vision, which is to create superior, highly competitive human resources, as well as become a driving force for the local economy.