By: Fajar Adi Nugroho
The Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) is one of the government’s strategic policies to strengthen national nutrition resilience while fulfilling the constitutional mandate. The program is designed to ensure the state’s presence in meeting the basic rights of the people, particularly the younger generation, to obtain adequate and sustainable nutritional intake.
The program’s normative foundation is aligned with the Preamble of the 1945 Constitution, which affirms the state’s obligation to promote public welfare. The government views nutrition fulfillment as an inseparable part of human development, as the quality of human resources is determined from the earliest stages of life.
MBG focuses on meeting the nutritional needs of students so they can grow and develop optimally. With healthy physical conditions, children are expected to have stronger immune systems, improved learning concentration, and reduced risks of stunting and other health disorders from an early age.
A Professor at Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta, Imamudin Yuliadi, believes that MBG has a clear designation and is distinct from education budgets or teachers’ salaries. The government designed it as a dedicated nutrition policy, although its impact also strengthens educational quality through improvements in students’ physical condition and health.
Imamudin argues that the success of MBG is largely determined by the readiness of the supporting ecosystem, especially at the regional level. Local governments and communities play a crucial role in ensuring stable food supply chains, ranging from rice, eggs, and vegetables to livestock and fisheries products.
When MBG needs are met through local production, the program not only improves nutritional status but also stimulates regional economic circulation. The government considers this approach a dual strategy that strengthens both nutrition resilience and local economic resilience.
According to Imamudin, with careful planning and a strong supporting ecosystem, MBG has the potential to generate significant multiplier effects. Increased demand for local food products can open new job opportunities, reduce unemployment, and accelerate poverty alleviation.
Plans to operate around 35,000 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units this year are seen as a major opportunity for regions. The presence of thousands of service units is expected to absorb a large workforce, particularly from surrounding communities, allowing economic benefits to be felt directly.
The government also encourages the involvement of various community elements in the implementation of MBG. Community organizations, women’s groups, youth, and local communities are considered to have strategic roles in the provision of raw materials, food processing, and distribution to schools.
Such involvement is expected to ensure that MBG truly becomes a grassroots program perceived as a shared endeavor. With broad participation, the program will not only operate administratively but also gain strong social support.
At the same time, the government recognizes that the large MBG budget requires professional and transparent governance. Oversight and accountability are top priorities to ensure the program remains aligned with its original objectives and is not misused for narrow interests.
This commitment to strengthening governance is also reflected in the involvement of Perum BULOG in supporting MBG. BULOG has affirmed its readiness to carry out government assignments, particularly in supplying rice as the main staple food.
President Director of Perum BULOG, Ahmad Rizal Ramdhani, stated that the company is ready to supply high-quality rice in accordance with established standards. The government ensures that cleanliness, quality, and consumption safety are prioritized so that the distributed food is truly safe and nutritious.
BULOG’s role is considered strategic in maintaining supply stability and food quality. Cross-ministerial and inter-agency synergy continues to be strengthened to ensure sustainable food availability for the implementation of MBG across all regions.
From a public health perspective, Vice Dean II of the Faculty of Health Sciences at UHAMKA, Leni Sri Rahayu, views MBG as playing an important role in supporting human resource development. The program is designed to reach key target groups, including toddlers, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, school-age children, and adolescents.
Leni explained that meeting nutritional needs through one main meal per day can improve access for vulnerable groups to adequate nutritious food. If implemented according to standards, MBG has the potential to significantly improve community nutritional status.
The government considers continuous monitoring and evaluation to be an essential part of strengthening the program. As the number of Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units continues to grow, oversight of nutritional standards, distribution timing, and service quality becomes critical to achieving program objectives optimally.
Leni emphasized that good nutrition fulfillment contributes greatly to physical growth, cognitive development, and children’s learning abilities. Children with good nutritional status are better prepared to participate in the learning process and to build independence in the future.
She also highlighted the importance of nutrition fulfillment during the first 1,000 days of life as a crucial phase of brain development. The government prioritizes this period because nutritional deficiencies in early life can have long-term impacts on cognitive ability and quality of life.
With an integrated approach encompassing nutrition, health, and the economy, the Free Nutritious Meal Program is positioned as a strategic national instrument. The government is not only pursuing short-term outcomes but also making long-term investments to strengthen national nutrition resilience and the quality of future generations.
)* The author is a contributor to the Pertiwi Institute