Jakarta – The government ensures that the Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG), which will be implemented nationwide, adheres to strict portion and quality standards. Designed to improve the nutritional intake of the public, especially schoolchildren, the program will be closely monitored by various stakeholders, including independent institutions.
Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, emphasized that food produced by the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Stations (SPPG) will undergo a special accreditation process. This process will not be conducted directly by BGN but by independent institutions to ensure objective assessment.
“Accreditation will be carried out, but not by BGN—it will be done by an independent institution,” said Dadan. He stated that the accreditation will be based on quality indicators categorized as excellent, very good, and good.
Dadan explained that accreditation will take place after the program’s initial intervention reaches its maximum scale—2,000 SPPG units serving approximately 6 million people.
“We will first implement the intervention until we reach the limit of 2,000 SPPG units covering 6 million people, which will last until August. As long as the number of SPPG units does not increase, we will proceed with accreditation,” he stated.
Meanwhile, BGN nutrition expert Ikeu Tanziha stated that the MBG menu composition during Ramadan 2025 will be adjusted to fasting conditions and consumption needs. Bread, eggs, cereals, and dates will be among the main menu items.
“The nutritional standards remain consistent with the usual dietary guidelines,” she said.
Ikeu explained that students’ nutritional needs are categorized based on their educational level. For early childhood education (PAUD) to third-grade elementary school students, MBG portions will provide 20–25% of the daily nutritional requirement. Meanwhile, for fourth-grade elementary school to high school students, it will cover 30–35% of their daily nutritional needs.
She also revealed that the MBG menu during Ramadan will be designed as dry food to prevent spoilage and ensure food safety.
“Food stored for approximately 11 hours poses a risk of contamination and food insecurity. Therefore, we have decided on dry meals,” she explained.
However, she emphasized that innovation is encouraged, allowing each SPPG to develop meal variations as long as they meet quality, safety, and nutritional standards.
Support for this program also comes from Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR RI), Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono (Ibas). He views MBG as a concrete step in fostering a healthier and smarter generation from an early age.
“The free nutritious meals program must run effectively, be well-targeted, and maintain high quality,” Ibas asserted.
He also urged active involvement from doctors, nutritionists, and influencers to oversee the program and ensure accurate validation of beneficiary data.
“This ensures quality standards are met, the budget is appropriately allocated, and distribution is on target while educating the public on the importance of balanced nutrition,” he added.
With multi-layered supervision and the involvement of various stakeholders, the Free Nutritious Meals Program is expected to be a crucial milestone in improving Indonesia’s public health quality in a sustainable manner.
