Govt to Evaluate Free Nutritious Meal Program Based on Community Reports

January 15, 2025 | 05:09 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Head of the National Nutrition Agency, Dadan Hindayana, has reported that the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program over the past two weeks has been generally smooth. He said continuous improvements are being made, including the uneven distribution of meals to students.

“Shortages identified through community reports are the subject of daily evaluation,” Dadan said in a text message to Tempo on Wednesday, January 15, 2025. “Improvements are only a matter of time.”

Dadan emphasized that daily evaluations are conducted at the agency level. He also said that discussions with President Prabowo Subianto regarding this policy are held every two weeks or once a week. “If a meeting is impossible, he (Prabowo) made calls.”

The Free Nutritious Meal program, a flagship program of the Prabowo administration, was first proposed during the 2024 presidential election campaign. Launched on January 6, 2025, the program aims to provide nutritious meals to over 3 million Indonesian children in schools and Islamic boarding schools.

In the initial two weeks of implementation, various stakeholders, including government agencies and the public, have submitted observations and concerns regarding the program. These concerns include budget availability, food distribution logistics, the nutritional content of the meals, and the environmental impact of food waste generated by the program.

The Regional Representatives Council (DPD) has called for increased oversight of the program. DPD Speaker Sultan Bachtiar Najamudin announced that senators will actively conduct field visits to investigate negative reports circulating on social media.

“This program must be supervised optimally. The DPD will fulfill its constitutional role by conducting thorough oversight,” Sultan said during an interview at the Parliament Complex on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

He also emphasized the need to verify social media complaints regarding the program. Based on these verifications, the DPD will provide proposals and recommendations to the government. He noted that the DPD will conduct a detailed assessment of various aspects of the program.

To date, Sultan claimed he has highlighted several challenges in the program's implementation, particularly the high cost of food in the eastern Indonesian regions. He also mentioned the importance of ensuring the nutritional quality of the food menus.

“It is crucial to ensure who is responsible for the nutritional content of the meals, whether it is BPOM (Food and Drug Monitoring Agency) or others,” he said.

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