Free Nutritious Meal Program Becomes Hope Amidst Threat of Malnutrition
Jakarta – Since its introduction last year, the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program has received great attention from the Indonesian government and society.
President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the importance of this program to ensure that all Indonesian children have access to good nutritious food.
The MBG program is focused on providing nutritious food in schools, Islamic boarding schools, as well as nutritional assistance for toddlers and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers who are at risk of stunting.
Acting. Director of Budget for Human Development and Humanity at the Directorate General of Budget, Diah Dwi Utami, emphasized that this program is not only beneficial for individual health, but also for the national economy.
“Good nutrition is not just about health. It is also about accelerating economic growth and job opportunities,” she said.
However, Diah acknowledged that major challenges still exist. “Indonesia is still facing the triple burden of malnutrition, namely stunting, obesity, and micronutrient deficiencies. This is a problem that we cannot ignore,” she said.
He said that around 4.5 million Indonesian children still experience stunting, which has an impact on their physical and cognitive development.
In order to ensure the success of this program, the government has allocated a budget of IDR 71 trillion in the 2025 State Budget.
The Director General of Budget at the Ministry of Finance, Isa Rachmatawarta, emphasized that the funds had been carefully calculated.
“The MBG program has been included in the 2025 State Budget. The budget is IDR 71 trillion, so it will not cause an additional deficit,” explained Isa.
Of the total budget, IDR 51.5 trillion will be used to provide nutritious food for beneficiaries. This program is targeted to reach 17.9 million people, including 15.5 million school children and 2.4 million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers.
Spokesperson for the Presidential Communications Office, Adita Irawati, highlighted the importance of improving the quality of the food menu in this program.
“We will continue to improve the food menu so that it is in accordance with the nutritional adequacy figures. This is our main concern,” said Adita.
He emphasized that the implementation of the MBG program is not only to meet food needs, but also to ensure the nutritional balance needed by the community.
“Nutritional balance is very important. We want the community to not only be full, but also healthy,” he added.
With a large budget allocation and full attention from the government, the MBG program is expected to be an effective solution to overcome malnutrition and stunting in Indonesia.
