Health expert suggests testing water for MBG boiling: it's not a matter of liters or not

Jakarta – Health expert Tjandra Yoga Aditama said water for cooking free nutritious meals or MBG should be tested for safety. He said the water used must be free of harmful substances. “The most ideal thing is to have the water tested. Gallon water or any water, the water is tested, whether the water contains dangerous substances or bacteria, E. coli, that is the most ideal,” Tjandra said after visiting the Pejaten National Police SPPG, South Jakarta, Tuesday (21/10/2025). Scroll TO CONTINUE CONTENT. This academic from YARSI University said that water from liters is not necessarily safe. He said water safety is not determined by whether it is a liter or not. “Gallon water is because we are not sure that the water source is good. If a place like Jakarta has the water source, the problem is clearly not about liters or not liters, the problem is that the water is tested. Here the water is tested before it is used. So this is what needs to be done, how the water is tested,” he said. He said there are areas with good well water quality and suitable for cooking. He said tests must be done to ensure the safety of the water. “It is not a problem with liters (of water), if the water comes from anywhere, if the results are good then it is good. If you can get liters, of course the results will definitely be good because for liters it has been tested beforehand,” he said. Earlier, the head of the National Food Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, asked all Food Fulfillment Organization Units (FPUG) to purchase rapid test kits to test food. He also asked SPPG to use liters of water to cook the MBG menu. This was conveyed by Dadan in a coordination meeting with all SPPGs at Jatidiri GOR, Gajahmungkur, Semarang City. He said that the use of rapid testing equipment was a follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s order so that the food consumed by students is guaranteed to be hygienic. “We ask that every SPPG start buying rapid tests to test food. After it is cooked, it is immediately tested for various contents, especially nitrates and various important chemical elements,” said Dadan at the Jatidiri Sports Hall, Semarang, as reported by detikJateng, on Monday (6/10). According to Dadan, the evaluation results showed that several cases of digestive disorders were suspected to be caused by chemicals such as nitrates, in addition to bacteria originating from unhygienic food processing. Apart from the rapid test, Dadan has also asked each SPPG to ensure that the utensils are sterile and the water used meets health standards. He gave the example that many cases of stomach pain arise due to poor water quality. “The President has given instructions to cook with certified water. So when you cook, use liters of water. When you wash, please filter the water if it comes from groundwater,” he said. (haf/haf)