A recent case of mass food poisoning affecting several students after consuming meals from the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program has drawn public attention.
While the MBG program aims to improve nutritional status, particularly among students, through the provision of free nutritious meals, food safety aspects must not be overlooked in its implementation.
“If the food is not safe, it should not be served,” said Professor Sri Raharjo, Head of the Center for Food and Nutrition Studies (PSPG) at UGM, on Friday (May 16).
The Faculty of Agricultural Technology at UGM (FTP UGM) lecturer explained that food poisoning can be caused by two factors: food intoxication, which results from toxins produced by bacteria, and food infection, caused by the consumption of pathogenic bacteria. Both often occur without visible signs.
“Food may appear and taste normal when consumed, but the effects may only emerge a few hours later or even the next day,” he said.
According to Professor Raharjo, one of the major challenges in programs like MBG is the large production scale, especially since providing thousands of meal packages requires stringent management at every stage from ingredient selection and storage to cooking processes.
“If 3,000 meal packages need to be prepared, that’s no longer a household kitchen issue. There must be proper facilities, equipment, and competent personnel,” Professor Raharjo said.
In such cases, food poisoning may stem from errors or negligence by menu providers, such as improperly stored raw ingredients, unevenly cooked meat, or unsanitary equipment.
For instance, meat that appears cooked on the outside may not have reached the internal temperature of 75°C, the minimum required to kill pathogenic bacteria. Even ingredient selection can pose risks.
“Meat from traditional markets, for example, is often not properly cleaned after slaughtering and is thus vulnerable to contamination from feces or intestinal contents,” he explained.
Professor Raharjo proposed three key solutions: awareness, capacity, and control. All stakeholders, providers, implementers, and supervisors must understand the risks and strictly apply food safety standards.
This includes using adequate refrigerators, high-capacity cooking equipment, and cooking procedures that ensure every part of the food is thoroughly cooked.
“If the food is not heated thoroughly, bacteria can survive and cause illness,” he emphasized.
He also pointed out that large-scale cooking requires a long time, and the duration becomes a key factor in whether contamination occurs. Even if the ingredients are safe, food can still become contaminated during processing if not handled properly.
Professor Raharjo recommended reducing the volume of food production under the MBG program. He cited schools that had previously implemented lunch programs before MBG.
“Some schools have already been running similar programs, but on a smaller scale, because it’s just for one school. So, the government can collaborate with these schools and let them take responsibility for their students’ meals,” he suggested.
In addition, he felt that the program was being rushed, noting that the National Nutrition Agency aims to expand MBG coverage to 82.9 million people this year.
“I call it too much, too soon. The focus should be on small-scale implementation first, fix it, and then gradually extend it to other schools,” he said.
By maintaining proper food safety standards and adjusting the scale of production, the MBG program is expected to achieve its goals without compromising student health. Cross-sector collaboration and continuous evaluation are essential to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Author: Rahma Khoirunnisa
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Photograph: Antara