Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has formed a special investigation team of chemists, pharmacists, and health experts to accelerate the handling of food poisoning cases linked to the nutritious free meal (MBG) program.

Deputy Head of BGN, Nanik S. Deyang, said the team will serve as a second opinion while awaiting official results from the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), which can take up to two weeks in some regions.

“Before BPOM’s findings are released, we can already estimate whether the cause is poisoning, allergies, or other health issues,” she explained at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday (22/9/2025), as reported by antaranews.com.

The team will inspect cooking processes, raw ingredients, and daily stored food samples to provide early findings. Nanik emphasized the goal is to enable immediate corrective actions, from improving local nutrition service units (SPPG) kitchens to ensuring proper medical treatment for affected children.

BGN Chief Dadan Hindayana noted two key risks in the MBG program, namely budget misuse and digestive problems among beneficiaries. 

“Frankly, I am more concerned about the second, because the food supply chain is long and involves many technical challenges,” he said.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)