Editor’s note
- Alleged stale milk in MBG programme, acting head of Binjai education department speaks out
- Lack of quality oversight in the MBG program
- Teachers do not monitor the availability of incoming food
- The acting head of education asked MBG to keep the quality high and not let this happen again
Alleged stale milk in MBG programme, acting head of Binjai education department speaks out
Sofian Siregar, Acting Head of Binjai City Education Service, North Sumatra, spoke about the discovery of reportedly outdated milk during the implementation of the Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) distributed to students of SD Negeri 024755, North Binjai District.
This statement was made following protests from parents who complained about the sour taste of the milk their children were fed.
Lack of quality oversight in the MBG program
This information subsequently became widespread and led to public concern about the food quality standards in the program.
Sofian emphasized that his party had paid serious attention to the report.
He emphasized that the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) as a provider must be more careful and detailed in fulfilling the MBG menu, both in terms of quality of ingredients, quantity of nutritional value and estimation of appropriate consumption times.
Teachers do not monitor the availability of incoming food
“While fulfilling the MBG menu, attention should be paid to quality and food safety standards. SPPG should be more detailed in fulfilling the MBG menu,” Sofian said in his statement on Tuesday (3/3/2026).
He also instructed school principals and teachers to immediately check every ready-to-eat food and drink before distributing it to the students.
This inspection includes the physical condition of the product, packaging and expiration date.
“Do another check before distributing to students, especially ready-to-eat food or snacks, pay attention to the expiration date,” he stressed.
The acting head of education asked MBG to keep the quality high and not let this happen again
According to Sofian, multi-level supervision is needed to ensure that the student nutrition program is progressing according to objectives and does not create new problems.
He also said his party would continue to evaluate MBG’s distribution and monitoring mechanism in schools.
The case at SDN 024755, he said, is a momentum to strengthen the monitoring system so that similar incidents do not occur in the future.
The regional government, he continued, is committed to maintaining the quality of programs that address the basic needs of students. ***
