Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has required meals served under the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program to be consumed within four hours of being prepared as part of efforts to ensure food safety and quality.

BGN Chief Sudaryono said the agency has introduced labels on MBG meals stating that they must be consumed within four hours after preparation. He urged students and school staff to check the labels before eating the meals.

"The National Nutrition Agency has introduced food labels requiring meals to be consumed within four hours after they are prepared. We urge students and also ask teachers to check the labels together before the MBG meals are consumed," Sudaryono said in an official statement on Monday, August 10, 2026.

He said checking the consumption deadline was a simple but important measure to ensure meals remained safe for students to eat. Meals that have passed the specified time limit, he stressed, should not be consumed.

"If the specified time has passed, we respectfully ask that the food not be consumed. I repeat, it should not be consumed once it has exceeded the specified time limit," Sudaryono said.

The four-hour limit is part of BGN's efforts to ensure that MBG meals meet not only nutritional standards but also food safety requirements.

BGN warns students against taking meals home

Sudaryono also urged students not to take MBG meals home after receiving them at school.

"We urge students, and also ask teachers to remind students in their classes, not to take MBG meals home," he said.

He explained that once meals are taken home, authorities cannot fully monitor how they are stored or when they are eventually consumed. Improper storage could cause the food to deteriorate and potentially increase the risk of food poisoning.

"We do not know the quality of food that is taken home or whether it has spoiled, which could potentially cause poisoning among students who consume it," Sudaryono said.

The policy follows several food poisoning incidents involving parents who consumed MBG meals that students had taken home, according to Sudaryono.

BGN has therefore asked schools and teachers to remind students to consume the meals according to the safety guidelines.

"Let's work together to ensure that MBG meals are safe and nutritious," Sudaryono said.

Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2117228/bgn-orders-free-school-meals-to-be-consumed-within-four-hour