Jakarta. Indonesia’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) has confirmed that all imported food trays used in the government’s Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program are free from pork-derived materials, following public concern over alleged use of lard oil in their production.

BPJPH chief Ahmad Haikal Hassan said on Monday that laboratory tests found no traces of pork fat or other non-halal substances in the trays, which were imported from China due to limited local production capacity.

“Not a single tray contains pork oil. I guarantee it 1,000 percent, as all samples have been tested in the laboratory,” Haikal told reporters after attending an event in East Jakarta.

The clarification came after local media reports and social media posts circulated claims that some Chinese-made trays might have been coated with lard oil. 

Haikal dismissed the report as “baseless,” saying products shipped to Indonesia complied fully with halal standards. “Even if some factories use pork oil for their domestic market, what is sent to Indonesia has been verified to meet halal requirements,” he said.

Haikal added that BPJPH is now encouraging the government to gradually replace imported trays with locally made products to strengthen domestic industry. “We are proposing that items used in the MBG program be sourced from Indonesian manufacturers first, and only if supply falls short should imports be considered,” he said.

The MBG program --one of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship welfare initiatives-- aims to provide free nutritious meals to schoolchildren across the country. Launched in January 2025, it has already reached around 30 million beneficiaries, though the government has slowed expansion after several food poisoning incidents last month.

To maintain public trust, the government has tightened quality control and halal assurance across the program. Haikal said BPJPH is currently certifying all kitchens participating in MBG to ensure every step of food preparation, from raw materials to serving, meets halal standards.

“Certification covers not just ingredients, but also kitchen equipment and the food processing,” Haikal said. He added that about 5,000 head cooks have undergone training to become halal supervisors, individuals responsible for overseeing compliance with Islamic dietary laws.

Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency earlier confirmed that imported trays were necessary to meet short-term demand, as local manufacturers could only produce around 10 million trays between September and December, far below the 70 million needed.

All trays and food items under the program must pass halal certification from BPJPH, hygiene inspection by the Food and Drug Agency (BPOM), and meet national quality standards (SNI).

As of early October, nearly 10,000 kitchens across Indonesia have joined the program. Authorities say they are enforcing stricter hygiene protocols, including on-site food safety tests and standardized handling procedures, to ensure both safety and religious compliance in the nationwide rollout.

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