The Deputy Mayor of Solo, Astrid Widayani, inspected the kitchens of\nthe Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) at two locations in Solo on\nThursday, 12 March 2026. The inspection was conducted after the\nmunicipal government received several public complaints concerning menu\nvariety and food quality in the free nutritious meal (MBG)\nprogramme.<\/p>\n
The two kitchens inspected were located in Gandekan, Jebres District,\nand Karangasem, Laweyan District. Public complaints had previously been\nsubmitted through direct messages and social media comments tagging\nAstrid\u2019s Instagram account.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a follow-up from previous kitchen monitoring and from public\ncomplaints, including programme beneficiaries. From the local\ngovernment\u2019s perspective, particularly regarding oversight, we want to\nensure conditions on the ground directly,\u201d Astrid said during the SPPG\ninspection.<\/p>\n
During the visit, Astrid and her team reviewed the kitchen\u2019s\noperational processes, from food preparation to processing and readiness\nfor distribution to beneficiaries. She also held discussions with SPPG\nheads and kitchen managers regarding production management, menu and\nnutrition planning, and financial management.<\/p>\n
According to Astrid, the management of the nutrition programme\nkitchens must align three main aspects: production, budget management,\nand menu and nutrition planning.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my view, the three components of SPPG kitchens are production,\nfinance, and menu and nutrition planning. All three must be\nsynchronised. We must not allow menu variety to diminish due to budget\nconstraints,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
From preliminary monitoring results, she stated that no serious\nissues were found in kitchen management. However, the government\nprovided several improvement recommendations, particularly regarding\nmenu variety so that the food served appeals more to children.<\/p>\n
Astrid emphasised that menus for students, particularly at primary\nschool level, must consider nutritional composition alongside children\u2019s\npreferences to prevent food waste.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is important is that the menu is safe in terms of ingredients,\nwell-prepared, and includes a combination of animal protein, plant\nprotein, and fruit. Menu variety is also important so children will eat\nand food is not wasted,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
During Ramadan, the government also reminded kitchen managers to\nmaintain proper portion control, with both larger and smaller portions\ntailored to beneficiaries\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n
Astrid stated that SPPG kitchen monitoring will be conducted\nregularly to ensure the service operates well. This step is also an\neffort to prevent issues following similar complaints that have emerged\nin several areas across Central Java.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to prevent problems from the start. That is why today we\nvisited and directly observed kitchen conditions. In Solo, the focus is\nensuring the production process runs properly and communication between\nall parties is maintained,\u201d she said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/deputy-mayor-of-solo-monitors-two-nutrition-service-centres-in-response-to-public-complaints-about-free-meal-1773316419", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }