DPR RI: Parental Nutrition Literacy Key to Success of Free Nutritious Meal Programme in Preventing Stunting

Member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Cellica Nurrachadiana, has stated that parental nutrition literacy is a key factor in the success of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme, aimed at preventing stunting in Indonesia. “MBG is one solution for remote areas with high stunting rates, providing intervention through Supplementary Feeding (PMT) or nutritious meal intake. However, I believe a mother must also understand nutrition literacy and good parenting practices,” she said during a podcast in Jakarta on Monday. She stressed that the MBG programme is not merely about providing free meals. Understanding nutrition, including the ‘Isi Piringku’ (My Plate) balanced diet concept, is essential for all parties, especially mothers, to ensure their children consume genuinely nutritious food for their growth and development. According to Cellica, access inequality is a contributing factor to stunting. The establishment of Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) to manage the MBG programme is one solution to bridge this gap. She also highlighted the crucial role of posyandu (integrated health posts) cadres in bringing supplementary feeding programmes closer to communities in frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped (3T) regions, as well as in eastern Indonesia, where access to SPPG may be limited. “Stunting has many factors: economic conditions, parenting styles, nutrition literacy, and limited access to nutritional fulfilment. The role of a mother is to monitor whether her child’s growth and development is age-appropriate. We weigh them monthly at the posyandu. Parents, especially mothers, must be aware that their children need to grow up healthy,” she added.