Nutritious Eating Has a Positive Impact on Life Expectancy

By: Widi Putri

The Indonesian government has taken significant steps to improve public welfare through the Free Nutritious Eating Program (MBG). Since its implementation on January 6, 2025, this program has sought to provide better nutritional intake to vulnerable groups, especially pregnant women, toddlers, and school children. In addition to aiming to overcome stunting and other nutritional problems, this program is also believed to contribute to increasing life expectancy in the long term.

Life expectancy is an important indicator that reflects the level of welfare of a country. One of the main factors that influences this figure is the nutritional status of the community from an early age. Based on existing data, Indonesia still faces major challenges in this aspect. With a stunting prevalence of 21.5 percent and a high number of children with underweight, intervention in the form of a nutritious eating program is a strategic step to improve the health of future generations.

The Chairman of the National Economic Council, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, emphasized that this program has begun to show real benefits. He saw an increase in the nutritional status of the children who were beneficiaries. According to him, it is important for the public not to rush to criticize government programs without a deep understanding. He emphasized that an objective evaluation needs to be carried out after the program has been running for several months so that its impact can be seen more clearly.

The government has allocated a budget of IDR 71 trillion to support the sustainability of this program. The funds are not only allocated for the provision of healthy food for the community, but also to strengthen infrastructure and distribution systems that ensure the effectiveness of its implementation.

Spokesperson for the Presidential Communications Office, Dedek Prayudi, explained that each MBG service unit is responsible for 3,000 to 3,500 children. With an integrated information system, the amount of food prepared, distributed, and handed over to children can be monitored in real time. This ensures that the program can run more efficiently and on target.

In its implementation, the MBG program not only aims to meet nutritional needs, but also encourage changes in healthier eating habits. The consumption patterns of the Indonesian people so far still show a lack of awareness of the importance of balanced nutritional intake. With this program, it is hoped that there will be changes in better eating patterns from an early age, which will ultimately have an impact on improving overall health.

The success of similar programs in various countries has proven that providing nutritious food consistently can increase life expectancy. Japan, for example, has been running a school lunch program for almost 150 years, with a significant impact on the quality of its people’s health. Likewise, Finland has been implementing a similar policy for more than 40 years. Through consistent and structured programs, these countries have succeeded in creating a healthier and more competitive generation.

In Indonesia, the benefits of this program may not be seen instantly, but if implemented sustainably, the results will be felt in the next few decades. Expert Staff to the Minister for Social Affairs and Poverty Alleviation of the Ministry of PPN/Bappenas, Pungkas Bahjuri Ali, emphasized that the impact of this program will only be seen in the long term. Therefore, support from various parties is needed so that this initiative can run optimally.

Another advantage of this program is its community-based approach. Food ingredients for MBG are supplied directly from local farmers and fishermen, while food processing is carried out by local residents. This approach not only improves the quality of food given to children, but also strengthens the village economy. With the village fund turnover increasing from IDR 1.1 billion to IDR 8-9 billion per year, this program has the potential to provide a double impact, namely improving health and empowering the community’s economy.

However, the implementation of this program certainly faces challenges. Infrastructure in several areas still needs to be prepared so that food distribution can run smoothly. Therefore, the government has prepared a flexible service scheme, including distributing food from points that are easier to reach for remote areas. This shows that the government is not only rolling out policies, but also preparing concrete solutions so that this program can run well.