President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship program, the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) initiative, has drawn public concern after nearly 6,000 students across several provinces reportedly suffered from food poisoning.

According to the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), as of September 17, 2025, there were 46 cases with 5,080 victims. The Ministry of Health (MoH) recorded 60 cases with 5,207 victims by September 16, 2025, while the Food and Drug Agency (BPOM) reported 55 cases with 5,320 victims as of September 10, 2025. Meanwhile, the Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) noted 5,626 food poisoning cases linked to MBG across 17 provinces.

One of the most serious incidents occurred in West Bandung Regency (KBB), where hundreds of students in Cipongkor and Cihampelas districts fell ill almost simultaneously. In Cipongkor, victims came from SMK Karya Perjuangan, MI, MTS, and MA Syarif Hidayatullah, while dozens of students from SMKN 1 Cihampelas were rushed to the local health center. In total, MBG-related poisoning cases in Cipongkor have reached 631 students from two separate incidents on September 22 and 24, 2025.

The latest outbreak was traced to the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) kitchen in Pasirsaji Village, Cipongkor, with 220 students affected between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

“So far, around 220 have come in, and the number keeps rising,” said Yuyun Sarihotimah, Head of Cipongkor Health Center, Wednesday (Sept 24, 2025).

The earlier incident on September 22 involved 411 victims, some of whom have gone home, while others remain hospitalized. Among them, 47 required inpatient care and 364 were treated as outpatients. Symptoms included 288 with nausea, 109 vomiting, 159 dizziness, 36 diarrhea, 45 headaches, 78 fatigue, 100 shortness of breath, 52 fevers, 112 stomach pain, and 2 seizures.

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi vowed to evaluate the MBG program after widespread poisoning cases. He plans to summon the West Java MBG head for an open review.

“Next week I’ll invite the MBG head for a comprehensive evaluation, so these incidents don’t happen again,” he said in Bandung, Tuesday (Sept 23, 2025).

However, he has yet to decide whether MBG kitchens in West Java will be suspended.

“We’ll discuss with organizers whether they should continue or undergo strict evaluation,” he added.

MBG Program Continues

Deputy State Secretary Juri Ardiantoro confirmed that MBG will not be halted despite calls for a moratorium.

“Some want a total suspension, others suggest improvements while running. The government opts to continue while tightening oversight,” he stated at the Presidential Palace on Wednesday (Sept 25, 2025).

He emphasized that President Prabowo has directed tighter monitoring and risk mitigation. Coordination with related ministries and the BGN leadership has been reinforced to ensure beneficiaries’ safety while keeping the national program on track.

BGN Reveals the Cause

BGN Head Dadan Hindayana inspected the MBG case response post in Cipongkor. He explained that initial findings showed technical mistakes by the SPPG kitchen, which prepared meals too early, causing food to sit for too long before distribution.

“They started cooking too soon. We’ve instructed them to begin after 01:30 a.m. so the gap before delivery is less than four hours,” he said.

Dadan stressed proper cooking schedules and distribution management, advising new SPPG units to gradually increase school coverage. He also referred to a similar case in Banggai, Central Sulawesi, triggered by a sudden switch of food suppliers that reduced quality.

Calls for Moratorium

Meanwhile, CISDI urged the government to impose a temporary moratorium on MBG. According to Diah Saminarsih, CISDI’s founder and CEO, the thousands of reported poisoning cases are “just the tip of the iceberg” since no public reporting dashboard exists. She argued that the government’s ambitious target of 82.9 million beneficiaries by the end of 2025 has led to rushed implementation, undermining food quality and distribution systems.

Mass poisoning incidents have even been declared extraordinary events (KLB), disrupting schools and burdening local governments with unplanned medical expenses. This challenge is worsened by the 24.7% cut in regional transfers, from Rp864.1 trillion in the 2025 budget to Rp650 trillion in the 2026 draft.

In addition to unhygienic food handling, MBG menus in many schools reportedly feature ultra-processed products and high-sugar flavored milk, which pose long-term risks of obesity in children.

“The inclusion of ultra-processed foods high in sugar, salt, and fat contradicts MBG’s original goal of improving Indonesian children’s nutrition,” Diah concluded.