Jakarta, May 15 -- The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has said it should be involved in the supervision of food preparation for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.

During a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Thursday, BPOM head Taruna Ikrar said that there are 13 items agreed upon with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) that involve collaboration with the BPOM.

However, in practice, not all of them involve the BPOM, he added.

"The most concrete example is meal preparation. We have personnel and expertise in monitoring food production. However, in the kitchens used for the MBG program, we have not been involved in assessing whether the kitchens meet standards," Ikrar said.

He further noted that the B...