BGN Removes Free Meal Kitchen Head After 113 Fall Ill in Rembang - Tempo.co English
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has removed the head of a free nutritious meal kitchen following a suspected food poisoning case at State Senior High School 1 in Rembang, Central Java.
BGN Deputy for Monitoring and Supervision Ketut Sumedana said the removal was an initial measure taken in response to the suspected poisoning.
“The kitchen head has been removed and replaced with a new one,” Ketut said when contacted on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
The BGN also temporarily suspended operations at the Magersari 2 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) in Rembang. “We have imposed a heavy suspension for 30 days,” he said.
At least 105 students and eight teachers experienced diarrhea and nausea after consuming a meal consisting of rice, corn fritters, and Balinese-style meatballs on September 24. Ketut said the BGN had not yet determined the cause of the suspected food poisoning, as testing of the food was still underway with the local health agency.
“The laboratory results have not been released yet,” Ketut said.
The BGN is currently focusing on the recovery of more than 100 people affected by the suspected food poisoning. Ketut said the agency would continue monitoring the victims’ health until they had recovered and were discharged from medical care.
“We will continue to monitor their recovery and health until they are declared healthy and return home,” he said.
Suspected food poisoning cases linked to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program have also been reported elsewhere. During the same period, a similar incident occurred in Batang, Central Java, where 219 people had reported health problems as of 3 a.m. on September 24, 2026.
The BGN also took action against the MBG kitchen involved in the Batang incident after finding suspected violations of standard operating procedures (SOPs) at the Batang Bawang SPPG.
One of the initial findings involved the timing of egg preparation. “Based on the initial inspection, several SOP violations were found, including eggs being prepared earlier at 7:30 p.m. before being reheated at 2:30 a.m.,” Ketut said.
The BGN also found sanitation conditions in several areas of the SPPG that required attention. However, Ketut stressed that the findings were still part of the investigation and could not yet be identified as the cause of the health problems.
“We are tracing the entire process, from receiving raw materials, processing, storage, portioning and distribution,” he said.
The BGN also found that some recipients took the food home, which Ketut said violated existing regulations.
Nevertheless, the agency said it would not determine the cause of the incidents until all inspections were completed. The investigation will examine every stage of food handling at the SPPG, from raw materials to distribution to recipients.
