Criticism has mounted on the use of imported food trays in the President Prabowo Subianto government’s Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program despite the capability of local manufacturers to produce them at home.

Calls for use of domestic food trays emerged during an open discussion themed “Industry Participation in Supporting Consumer Safety and Health” organized by the Indonesian Food Container Manufacturers Association (Apmaki) and the Association of Food and Beverage Trade Entrepreneurs (Aspradam) at Best Western Hotel Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday, August 13, 2025.

Engineering professor at Gadjah Mada University, Tumiran, called the decision to import food trays for the MBG program misguided.

“If we can manufacture airplanes and ships, why do we have to import food trays? It’s absurd and undermines our local industry. Tax money used for the MBG program should be circulated in the domestic economy, not used to give jobs to foreign industries,” Tumiran told the media said after the discussion.

He said further that involving local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and factories could create thousands of new jobs.

“Imagine if just one container of food trays were produced here − how many workers could be employed and how many families could benefit,” he added.

The National Standardization Agency of Indonesia (BSN) acknowledged that although a National Standard (SNI) for tableware exists, its implementation is still voluntary. Weak oversight, particularly for imported products entering through unofficial channels, is seen as increasing food safety risks.

Chairperson of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), Niti Emiliana, warned of the potential health hazards of using untested imported food trays.

“We shouldn’t wait until millions of children suffer from heavy metal poisoning. These food trays are in direct contact with children’s meals, so they must be completely safe,” Niti said during the discussion.

Speakers at the event agreed that if the government is serious about making MBG a driver of national economy, the entire supply chain − including tableware − must be produced domestically to ensure industrial self-reliance, job creation, and stronger national competitiveness.

The writer, a Masters degree student of National Resilience Studies Program at the University of Indonesia, is an intern at Indonesia Business Post.