Deputy Minister Isyana: DASHAT Programme Supports Riau Islands Generation Free from Stunting

Bintan - Deputy Minister of Population and Family Development and Deputy Head of the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN), Ratu Ayu Isyana Bagoes Eka, stated that the Healthy Kitchen to Combat Stunting (DASHAT) programme, featuring various healthy meal creations, aims to support a generation free from stunting.

’The DASHAT initiative is the government’s effort to enhance public understanding of the importance of family nutrition for stunting prevention, with the slogan “food does not have to be expensive,” Deputy Minister Isyana said while attending a DASHAT cooking demonstration at Rumah Bahagia in Bintan Regency, Riau Islands Province, on Monday.

The cooking demonstrations in DASHAT rely on the skills and knowledge of cadres from the Quality Family Villages (KB). Each prepared dish is accompanied by nutrition experts from local health centres (puskesmas).

Attendees included at-risk stunting families, comprising pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and mothers with infants or toddlers, alongside community cadres.

Demonstrated dishes included mackerel, tempe, and potato balls and moringa leaf pudding. Both dishes were selected for their high nutritional value to support child development and meet family nutritional needs.

Through DASHAT, Isyana added, the public is encouraged to understand the importance of healthy and nutritious eating habits for families, particularly in supporting child development and preventing stunting risks from an early age.

‘With this initiative, the public is expected to better implement healthy and nutritious menus within families, thereby supporting the realisation of healthy, high-quality, and stunting-free families, particularly in Bintan,’ Isyana said.

Following the cooking demo, Deputy Minister Isyana engaged with parents of toddlers and pregnant women, distributing DASHAT healthy menus to prevent stunting.