How Far Along Is Indonesia's Food Spoilage Scanner for Free Meals?

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August 26, 2026 | 10:02 pm

Students eat meals provided under the Free Nutritious Meals program at SMK Negeri 45 Jakarta in Kebon Jeruk, Jakarta, July 13, 2026. Tempo/Ilham Balindra

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency (BGN) says a food spoilage scanner being developed for the government’s Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program is still undergoing testing and refinement and is not yet ready for mass production.

BGN Chief Sudaryono said the agency is working with the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) to further develop the prototype and assess how it could be produced on a larger scale.

“It still needs some time. That was the prototype. We are looking at how it can be mass-produced,” Sudaryono said at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs office in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, August 26, 2026.

What Is the Current Progress?

The device has reached the prototype stage, but several aspects still need to be assessed before it can be deployed.

Sudaryono said BGN is currently looking into the device’s potential production capacity, cost and availability. The agency has also yet to determine whether the scanners would eventually be installed at every school participating in the MBG program.

“We are still checking its availability and how many can be produced,” he said.

According to Sudaryono, the device works using a system similar to a vapor sensor. Chemicals in food vapor are captured and analyzed to identify signs of spoilage.

However, the technology is not yet ready for immediate use.

BRIN Chief Arif Satria said last week that researchers were still refining the detector and that it required another stage of development.

“It still needs one more stage. It still needs to be refined,” Arif said on August 21.

What Are the Concerns?

The planned scanner has also drawn criticism over whether detecting spoiled food would be enough to prevent food poisoning under the MBG program.

Nutritionist Tan Shot Yen said food that causes food poisoning does not necessarily show signs of spoilage.

“It can only detect spoiled food. But what if the food is contaminated with E. coli or salmonella?” she said.

For now, BGN has not announced when the scanner will be ready for use or whether it will be deployed across MBG schools. The agency and BRIN are still assessing the technology and its feasibility for mass production.

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