Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Federation of Indonesian Teachers Union (FSGI) has urged the Indonesian government to comprehensively evaluate the Free Nutritious Meal program (MBG). This demand comes after 72 students in Pondok Kelapa, East Jakarta, suffered from food poisoning after consuming the nutritious meal on Friday, April 3, 2026.
Chairperson of FSGI's Advisory Board, Retno Listyarti, stated that the government has often evaluated the success of MBG based on the high number of beneficiaries. However, the government has overlooked the thousands of food poisoning cases that have occurred. "The government has neglected to analyze when there are food poisoning incidents related to MBG, whereas the number of poisoning cases actually indicates a more serious problem," Retno said in a press release on Sunday, April 5, 2026.
Retno expressed regret over the food poisoning incident involving 72 students in East Jakarta, especially at a time when the new academic term had just begun after the Eid holiday. She pointed out that this incident adds to the long list of food poisoning cases as a result of the MBG program. According to Retno, in the first two months of 2026, the victims of MBG poisoning reached 4,755 individuals.
She further explained that in February 2026, the number of MBG poisoning victims was recorded at 1,920 individuals. This figure indeed decreased by 32.2 percent compared to January, which reached 2,835 individuals. However, when seen as a whole, in the first two months of 2026, the number of victims reached 4,755 individuals. This means an average of 2,377.5 victims per month, more than the average number of victims of MBG poisoning last year.
In 2025, the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network noted 20,012 victims throughout the year, an average of 1,667.7 individuals per month. This figure shows an increase of 42.56 percent in the average number of victims per month in 2026 compared to 2025. "This indicates a significant increase in MBG poisoning victims," said Retno.
Chair of FSGI, Fahriza Marta Tanjung, added that the comparison indicates a worrisome situation. She believes that the repeated cases of poisoning involving thousands of victims are an indicator that there are issues in supervision, food quality, cleanliness, or distribution. "Each victim is evidence that there are loopholes in the system," she said.
FSGI emphasizes that the 4,755 victims in the first two months of 2026 are not just statistics. The decrease in the percentage in the last 1 or 2 months did not happen due to improvements, but was triggered by the Ramadan and Eid holidays. "The fact that on average the situation is worsening. Without comprehensive improvement, this risk can continue to occur and become even greater," Fahriza stated.