Jakarta – The Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) is part of a strategy to strengthen human resources and national defense amidst global uncertainty.
This was conveyed by the General Chairperson of Lingkar Nusantara (Lisan) Hendarsam Marantoko, highlighting the escalation of global conflicts and the fragility of the international food supply chain.
“Amidst the war in Ukraine, the Middle East conflict, and global logistical disruptions, threats to Indonesia don’t always come in the form of weapons. The food crisis can actually be the quietest yet deadliest form of war,” said Hendarsam.
Therefore, he said that MBG must be understood as part of a non-military universal defense architecture.
Hendarsam linked the MBG policy to President Prabowo Subianto’s views as outlined in the book Paradoks Indonesia.
In the book, Prabowo emphasizes that a nation can collapse not because of a lack of weapons, but because its people are physically, mentally, and economically weak.
“This perspective is very clear: a nation’s strength is not only determined by its defense equipment, but by the quality of its people and the resilience of its national system,” he continued.
He considers MBG to be a long-term investment in human resources.
“Without a strong nutritional foundation, the demographic bonus has the potential to turn into a strategic burden,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Acting Deputy for Promotion and Cooperation of BGN who is also the Director of Nutrition Promotion and Education, Dr. Gunalan, AP, M Si emphasized that the MBG program not only focuses on nutrition and education aspects, but also has a close relationship with the production sector and food supply chain.
“BGN encourages regional creativity, including in the preparation of healthy menus without the use of MSG, as implemented by KPPG in Bandung in early January,” he explained.
Gunalan added that BGN is also encouraging the procurement of MBG food ingredients involving the Merah Putih cooperative, Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDes), and local MSMEs.
This scheme is expected to provide a direct economic impact on the community while strengthening regional food security.
“The essence of MBG is that it comes from the people, is managed by the government through the purchase of raw materials from cooperatives, village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), farmers, and local businesses, and then returned to the people, especially the beneficiaries of MBG,” said Gunalan.