Jakarta. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has temporarily suspended operations at 1,043 community kitchens involved in the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program across Java after an evaluation found many facilities had yet to meet sanitation and operational requirements.

The initiative relies on a vast network of community kitchens known as SPPG units.

Albertus Dony Dewantoro, Director of Monitoring and Supervision for Region II at BGN, said the suspensions were part of a broader compliance review.

“We have temporarily suspended the operations of 1,512 SPPGs. This was done as a follow-up to the evaluation of compliance with operational standards and facility and infrastructure requirements at a number of SPPGs,” he said.

The evaluation found that 1,043 SPPG units had not yet registered for the Hygiene Sanitation Eligibility Certificate (SLHS), a key requirement for facilities involved in food preparation and distribution under the MBG program.

The SLHS certificate, issued by local health offices, serves as proof that facilities meet hygiene and sanitation standards. The requirement is intended to protect consumers from potential health risks caused by unhygienic food handling or unsanitary environments.

Based on the evaluation, the assessed SPPG units were distributed across several provinces in Java, including 50 units in Jakarta, 62 in Banten, 350 in West Java, 54 in Central Java, 788 in East Java, and 208 in Yogyakarta.

Aside from certification issues, BGN also found that 443 SPPG units do not yet have proper wastewater treatment facilities, known as Wastewater Treatment Plants (IPAL), which are required to meet environmental and sanitation standards.

The review comes amid concerns over food safety in the program. BGN recorded more than 11,000 suspected food poisoning cases in 2025 linked to the free meal initiative, with the largest number reported in West Java.

Separately, the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) reported that 1,242 people were suspected of suffering food poisoning between Jan. 1 and Jan. 13, 2026.

BGN said the suspensions were aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future as the government seeks to strengthen food safety standards. The agency has set a target of achieving “zero defects” — or no food poisoning cases — in the program by 2026.

Another issue identified during the review was the lack of staff accommodation for key personnel such as SPPG heads, nutritionists, and accountants. The problem was recorded in 175 SPPG units, including 36 in Banten, 86 in Yogyakarta, 24 in West Java, 10 in Central Java and 19 in East Java.

The MBG program is currently implemented nationwide through 23,678 SPPG kitchens serving beneficiaries across the archipelago. Regionally, the largest number of recipients is in Sumatra with around 12.3 million beneficiaries, followed by Sulawesi with approximately 4.4 million recipients.

BGN said it will provide assistance and verification to the affected service units so they can meet the required standards as soon as possible. The suspended kitchens are expected to gradually resume operations once all sanitation and operational requirements have been fulfilled.