The Controversy of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program: Food Poisoning Cases and Legal Remedies
Abstract
The Indonesian government's Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program aims to improve nutrition and reduce stunting, yet widespread food poisoning incidents have exposed governance weaknesses and legal accountability gaps. This study examines legal responsibilities of government bodies and food providers, identifies regulatory violations, and proposes legal remedies and policy improvements. Using normative-juridical methods, the research analyzes statutory provisions, investigation reports, and incident documentation. Findings reveal that poor hygiene, inadequate supervision, procurement irregularities, and weak coordination caused contamination risks. Accountability can be pursued through administrative sanctions, civil compensation, and criminal liability for proven negligence. The study concludes that strengthening regulatory frameworks, enforcing hygiene standards, improving oversight, and establishing complaint mechanisms are essential to fulfill the program's constitutional mandate for safe food and public welfare.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
R. Saptati, “pemerintah salurkan makan bergizi gratis (MBG) artikel ini telah tayang di situs media keuangan | MK+ dengan judul ‘pemerintah salurkan makan bergizi gratis (MBG), ini sasaran utama penerimanya - media keuangan’ lihat selengkapnya di sini: https://mediake,” Media Keuangan, 2025. .
Rahman, “Balancing nutrition and safety in Indonesia’s free meals program,” Antara, 2025.
A. Y. B. R. Thaifur, “edukasi dan pengolahan nugget ayam, tahu, bayam untuk pencegahan stunting dan anemia mendukung program makan bergizi gratis (MBG) di SMA 3 Kota Baubau,” J. Kolaboratif Sains, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 1273–1278, 2025, doi: 10.56338/jks.v8i2.7156.
Kate Lamb, “Food poisoning outbreak mars Indonesian president’s flagship free meal program,” Support the Guardian, 2025. .
BPOM, “Peraturan badan pengawas obat dan makanan nomor 4 tahun 2024 tentang pedoman penerbitan sertifikat pemenuhan komitmen produksi pangan olahan industri rumah tangga, ”Peratur. Perundang-undangan Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan, 2024.
CISDI, “Makan bergizi gratis : menilik tujuan, anggaran dan tata kelola program,” Policy Pap. Ser., vol. 2023, no. 17, pp. 1–16, 2024.
A. Setyagama, “Government responsibility to the people of Indonesia in management of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Int. J. Health Sci. (Qassim)., vol. 6, no. April, pp. 10066–10077, 2022, doi: 10.53730/ijhs.v6ns4.12154.
S. A. Putri, “Administrative enforcement of food safety regulation in Indonesia: loopholes and recommendations,” Law Reform J. Pembaharuan Huk., vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 282–297, 2022, doi: 10.14710/lr.v18i2.47415.
Presiden Republik Indonesia, “Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 8 Tahun 1999 tentang perlindungan konsumen,” Peratur. Pemerintah Republik Indones., vol. 2003, no. 1, pp. 1–46, 1999.
Presiden Republik Indonesia, “Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 18 Tahun 2012, ”Peraturan Pemerintah Republik Indonesia, vol. 2, no. 1. p. 25, 2012.
Muhaimin, Metode penelitian hukum. NTB: Mataram University Press, 2020.
Kementerian Pindidikan Dasar dan Menengah, “Pedoman Makan Bergizi Gratis ( MBG),” 2024.
Dr. Hj Dwi Ratna Kartikawati, SH, MKn, MBA, Metode Penelitian Hukum, no. June. 2022.
A. Muhammad, “Hukum dan Penelitian Hukum,” J. Ilmu Hukum. Vol. 8, No. 1, Januari-Maret 2014. Lampung, vol. 8, no. 1, p. 134, 2004.
D. S. Nur, Buku Pengantar Penelitian Hukum. 2021.
Ananda Teresia, “More than 9,000 children in Indonesia got food poisoning from school meals in 2025,” Reuters, 2025. https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/more-than-9000-children-indonesia-got-food-poisoning-school-meals-2025-2025-10-01/?utm_source=chatgpt.com.
S. P. Collins et al., Laporan Tahunan Badan POM 2025. 2021.
Reuters, “Indonesia stock market falls 9%, rupiah drops to record low.,” 2025.
A. Andryawan, Y. Calvianson, and F. Satriani, “Pertanggungjawaban pelaku usaha kuliner atas kelalaian yang dilakukan oleh pegawainya (contoh kasus insiden masukanya tikus digerai dough lab cabang PIK Avenue Jakarta),” Ranah Res. J. Multidiscip. Res. Dev., vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 1928–1938, 2025, doi: 10.38035/rrj.v7i3.1339.
A. Insfran-rivarola, D. Tlapa, J. Limon-romero, and S. Ontiveros, “foods a systematic review and meta-analysis of the eff ects,” J. MDPI, vol. 9, p. 1169, 2020, [Online]. Available: https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/9/1169.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.30601/humaniora.v9i2.7391
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2025 Teguh Purnomo, Wahyu Heru Pamungkas

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
© Jurnal Humaniora : Jurnal Ilmu Sosial, Ekonomi dan Hukum. Published by Center for Research and Community Service (LPPM) University of Abulyatama, Aceh, Indonesia. 2019









