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TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The National Food and Nutrition Agency (BGN) has received formal test results from the Natuna District Health Office following a mass poisoning linked to the Free Nutritious Food (MBG) program. According to the findings, the distributed meals were contaminated with borax and E. coli bacteria.
The BGN Coordinator for the Anambas Islands Regency, Sahril, announced that oversight will be tightened in light of these results. He noted that the Integrated Health Post for Nutritious Food (SPPG), or MBG kitchen, will only be permitted to resume operations once it meets all mandated standards, including the renewal of its Hygiene and Sanitation Suitability Certification (SLHS).
The goal, he explained, is to prevent any recurrence of food poisoning within the MBG program. "We also emphasize that the SPPG must enhance supervision and improve its adherence to BGN standards," Sahril stated, as quoted by Antara on Monday, May 4, 2026.
He confirmed that an Extraordinary Event (KLB) was declared on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, after beneficiaries in the Air Asuk area fell ill. In response, the Riau Islands Provincial Government and the local MBG task force launched an immediate investigation into the incident.
A joint team from the Department of Food Security, Agriculture, and Animal Health, alongside the Provincial Health Office, was deployed to monitor the victims’ conditions. At least 155 individuals were reported to have suffered from poisoning during the outbreak.
In a bid to determine the source of the contamination, the Anambas Islands Regency Government utilized sanitary rapid test kits and dispatched meal samples to the Batam Health Laboratory (BPOM) for further analysis. "Test results from the Natuna District Health Office indicated that remaining food samples contained borax with contamination levels ranging from 100 to 5,000 milligrams, while BPOM confirmed the presence of E. coli," Sahril revealed.
He clarified that while the initial rapid test results were available by April 15, the laboratory findings were only received on April 28, 2026. However, the precise origin of the contamination in the water and food supply remains unidentified. "We will further investigate the cause," he concluded.
Read: Prabowo Defends MBG: What's Wrong with Funding the People?
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