4.755 Cases of MBG Poisoning in Two Months, FSGI Requests a Massive Evaluation of SPPG 

ILLUSTRATION/DOK BETWEEN HO BGN

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Teachers' Union Federation (FSGI) urges the government to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) following the high number of poisoning in the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program in early 2026.

This demand arose after the latest case involving 72 elementary and high school students in Pondok Kelapa, East Jakarta, who suffered from poisoning after consuming a spaghetti menu from the MBG provider. The students had to undergo treatment at the hospital.

FSGI assessed that the case showed serious problems in the implementation of programs targeting vulnerable groups such as schoolchildren.

The Chairman of the FSGI Expert Council, Retno Listyarti, highlighted the government's tendency to emphasize the number of program achievements rather than evaluating the negative impacts that arise in the field.

"According to FSGI related to the MBG policy, the government often uses numbers to show success. However, it ignores analyzing when there are cases of MBG poisoning, even though the poisoning rate actually shows a more serious problem," said Retno in her statement, Monday, April 6.

FSGI also assessed that the government was not enough to bear the cost of treatment of victims without improving the system as a whole. Retno emphasized the importance of looking at trends as a whole, not just comparing figures between months that could be influenced by factors such as Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr holidays.

"If the monthly average this year is much higher than last year, then there is clearly a problem that has not been resolved by BGN", said Retno.

FSGI reminded that the number of thousands of victims in a short time is not just a statistic, but a signal of a gap in the system of implementing the program.

"When the number is thousands, it is no longer a small mistake, but a sign that a massive evaluation needs to be carried out," he continued.

Data collected by FSGI shows that the number of MBG poisoning victims in February 2026 reached 1,920 people. This figure is indeed down compared to January which recorded 2,835 victims. However, if accumulated, the total number of victims in the first two months of 2026 has reached 4,755 people.

FSGI Chairman Fahriza Marta Tanjung said that the figure actually showed an upward trend if viewed on a monthly average.

"Compare this with the data for 2025 recorded by the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI), which states that a total of 20,012 victims throughout the year or an average of 1,667.7 people per month. This means that there is a significant increase in MBG poisoning victims," said Fahriza.

Fahriza added that the average victim per month in 2026 reached 2,377.5 people, or an increase of around 42.56 percent compared to the previous year. According to him, this condition cannot be considered a decline just because there is monthly fluctuation.

He reminded that MBG is a program that targets sensitive groups such as schoolchildren, toddlers, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. Therefore, food safety should be the top priority.

"If cases of poisoning occur repeatedly and involve thousands of people, it means there is a problem in supervision, food quality, hygiene, or distribution," said Fahriza.