West Bandung Sets Toxics As KLB, Commission IX Of The House Of Representatives Proposes Restrictions On Portion Of MBG Per Kitchen Restricted

Illustration of the condition of students in West Java who are poisoned by the free lunch program (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IX DPR RI, Nurhadi responded to the case of mass poisoning in the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program in West Bandung Regency which has been designated as an Extraordinary Event (KLB). According to him, the determination of this KLB is a sign that the MBG implementation process needs to be thoroughly evaluated.

"This program is actually intended to improve the nutrition of school children, but this incident shows the need for a thorough evaluation of aspects of food quality processing, distribution, and supervision," Nurhadi told reporters, Monday, September 29.

Nurhadi also encouraged the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), local governments, and related institutions to immediately focus on investigating the causes of poisoning and increasing the higienic and sanitary standards of the MBG kitchen.

"If necessary, the implementation of MBG in kitchens that have not met the standard can be temporarily suspended until the results of the investigation come out," he said.

In addition, Nurhadi also proposed limiting the number of portions per kitchen to a maximum of 2,000 servings per day. According to him, restrictions are important to maintain the quality of food.

"We propose limiting the number of portions per kitchen, for example a maximum of 2,000 servings per day. This restriction is important so that the quality, fitness, and supervision of food are more easily maintained and the workload of providers is more balanced," said Nurhadi.

"This step will also make it easier for schools and governments to carry out surveillance," added the legislator from the East Java VI electoral district.

Nurhadi assessed that the main reason for the widespread poisoning in the MBG program was because the kitchen management had not been well organized. Starting from the competence of the head of the kitchen to the nutritionist.

"Therefore, a thorough evaluation and limiting the number of beneficiaries per kitchen is a proportional step to prevent overload and maintain service quality," he said.

Nurhadi also emphasized that Commission IX of the DPR fully supports the government's program to improve student nutrition. However, the safety and health of beneficiaries must be a top priority.

"With governance improvements, stricter supervision, and portion restrictions per kitchen, we are optimistic that the MBG program can run again more safely and on target," concluded Nurhadi.

As is known, the West Bandung Regency government has set an Extraordinary Event (KLB) after nearly 1,000 students from various levels of education experienced symptoms of mass poisoning in recent days due to food consumption from the MBG program.

This case is spread across a number of sub-districts, such as Lembang, Cisarua, Parongpong, and Cipongkor. Students experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and shortness of breath. Food samples and vomit of victims have been taken for laboratory testing to ascertain the source of contamination.

The Governor of West Java, Dedi Mulyadi also stated that he would thoroughly evaluate the implementation of the MBG program in all provinces.