Jakarta – The government together with the business world has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the national Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program by strengthening the food and nutrition sector throughout Indonesia. One concrete step is the development of 1,000 MBG Kitchens facilitated by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), which will be part of the 30,000 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) points planned by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).
“The extraordinary enthusiasm from the business world shows that they are ready to work together to support this program,” said Kadin Chairman Anindya Novyan Bakrie.
Anindya said that his party intends to participate in building 1,000 kitchen points, starting with a pilot project that will be implemented before August 17, 2025.
The involvement of the business world through Kadin is not only to meet the need for nutritious food, but also aims to create jobs and empower the community. This program is expected to strengthen national nutritional resilience by ensuring the availability of nutritious food for children, pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, and underprivileged families in various regions of Indonesia.
Anindya emphasized the importance of the role of entrepreneurs in providing real support for infrastructure and the food supply chain, which will play a major role in the success of the MBG program.
“Our task is to help BGN achieve the target of building 30,000 SPPG kitchen points, and Kadin is ready to contribute according to existing capacity,” he said.
Kadin is also committed to providing a guidebook that can be implemented by Kadin at the provincial, city, and even international levels.
According to the Head of BGN, Dadan Hindayana, the contribution of the business world is very strategic in realizing this program.
“Kadin is an important part of the MBG program. The success of this program is very dependent on three things: budget, human resources, and infrastructure,” said Dadan.
Kadin’s role in helping to build infrastructure and meet the needs of the nutritious food supply chain is very important, especially with the existence of new markets that are created along with the increasing demand due to the MBG program.
Dadan also appreciated Kadin’s steps in forming a special team to manage the development and accreditation process of SPPG kitchens independently.
“This will ease BGN’s task, because Kadin can directly curate and accredit kitchens,” said Dadan.
In an effort to support this program, Kadin will collaborate with various parties, including local governments and other stakeholders.
With strong synergy between the government and the private sector, it is hoped that Indonesia can immediately achieve the target of building 30,000 MBG kitchen points, as well as realizing better food and nutrition security for the entire community.*
[edRW]
