Free meal expiry labels criticized as inadequate
The government’s plan to put expiration date labels on free nutritious meal packages has drawn criticism that it could shift responsibility for food poisoning onto beneficiaries while leaving deeper food safety problems unaddressed.
Critics have slammed the Indonesian government's plan to label free nutritious meal packages with expiration dates, arguing the move could shift blame for food poisoning onto recipients while neglecting underlying food safety concerns. The National Nutrition Agency, which oversees President Prabowo Subianto's flagship initiative, announced the measure will begin in mid-August to tackle reports of illness linked to the program.
Each meal must be eaten within four hours of preparation at Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units, as Sudaryono, head of the agency, explained. BGN spokesperson Sudaryono stated, "The food must be consumed within a maximum of four hours after cooking because it contains no preservatives." The initiative has drawn criticism from the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, who contend that the labels could place responsibility for foodborne illnesses on students and institutions consuming meals past the designated timeframe, instead of tackling issues such as poor kitchen hygiene and ingredient quality.
As Ubaid Matraji, JPPI's national coordinator, told The Jakarta Post, "Simply putting a label on the package is not a fundamental solution."
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
