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View all search resultsTop BGN official defends use of shark meat in free meals program
The newly inaugurated deputy head of the BGN Nanik S Deyang said the decision to serve fried shark meat for students in the region was made out of respect for local culture.
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A student shows a school meal he received as part of the free nutritious meal program on Sept. 15 at the Nurul Islam Klakah integrated Islamic elementary school (SDIT) in Lumajang, East Java. (Antara/Irfan Sumanjaya)
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senior official from the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) on Thursday defended the decision to include shark meat as part of the menu in the free nutritious meal program for students in West Kalimantan.
The newly inaugurated deputy head of the BGN Nanik S Deyang said the decision to serve fried shark meat for students in the region was made out of respect for local culture.
"Whatever the menu if it is consistent with the local wisdom then we should use it," Nanik was quoted by Kompas as saying.
The senior official, a former campaign staff member for President Prabowo Subianto in the 2024 presidential election, added that in Ketapang, West Kalimantan, where the shark meat was served to students, the sea food item was relatively affordable.
"Shark meat is regularly served in the area. Unlike here in Jakarta, the meat is easy to get," Nanik said.
Nanik was responding to queries whether the shark meat was responsible for a case of food poisoning affecting 25 pupils at an elementary school in Benua Kayong village in Ketapang, West Kalimantan, earlier this week.
School administrators in the area alleged that the food poisoning was due to the use of shark meat in the menu provided for the schoolchildren.
