President Prabowo Subianto gave Dadan Hindayana an impromptu telephone call on Thursday, September 19, 2025, when the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) was in the midst of a ceremony that officiated the kitchens designated for the government’s Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.

Dadan said the unexpected call came as the president sought clarification on growing public concerns on the execution of the free meals program, including allegations that imported food trays used in the program contained pork-derived oil.

“I apologize [to ceremony participants] for having to pick up the call in the middle of the event. But when the phone call came from the owner of the republic, I had to answer it. The president called twice, and I explained the issue related to the trays,” Dadan told reporters at the BGN office in Jakarta on Thursday.

No pork oil in trays

Dadan dismissed the allegations, stressing that the trays were made of metal and contained no pork oil. He cited that lubricants were only used during the stamping process to prevent overheating, and that the trays were thoroughly cleaned afterwards.

“The issue was about the type of oil used. In Indonesia, most manufacturers use vegetable oil. We are focusing on locally made trays, while for imported ones we are coordinating with the Halal Product Certification Agency (BPJPH) to ensure all trays are certified halal,” he said.

While reiterating the government’s commitment to prioritize domestic production, Dadan acknowledged thatfood tray imports were still necessary to fill the supply gap.

He noted that over the past four months, the MBG program required around 15 million trays, while local production only reached 11.6 million units.

“That leaves a shortfall of about 4 million units. If we completely shut down imports, the [MBG] program would be disrupted. That is why we are working with BPJPH so that all importers are required to obtain halal certification,” Dadan said.