Holidays Over, Free Nutritious Meals Programme Resumes in Schools

The distribution of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme for students has resumed after being halted for approximately the last two weeks due to the school holiday period. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has confirmed improvements to the nutritional quality of the programme, which was relaunched at the start of this week following the school break. This was stated by BGN Deputy Head Trenggono during an inspection of the MBG programme at several schools and Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) in the Central Jakarta area on Monday (14/7). He assured that the BGN is working to ensure the programme’s implementation meets standards, from menu quality and food safety to the distribution process. Trenggono also highlighted the programme’s local economic impact. He stated that the MBG programme is not only oriented towards meeting children’s nutritional needs but is also expected to create a sustainable economic impact for the community. Therefore, the provision of raw materials must prioritise local food potential and involve businesses around the programme’s implementation areas. “The MBG programme must become a driver of the local food ecosystem. We need to utilise quality local fruits, reduce dependence on factory-produced raw materials, and prioritise supplies from MSMEs,” he said. Separately, BGN Deputy Head Agustina Arumsari explained that the distribution pause during the school holidays was used to reorganise and improve the programme to enhance service quality for all beneficiaries. She noted that various improvements have been made to ensure the distribution of MBG runs well after the adjustment period, with the goal of optimising the programme’s benefits. The BGN also used monitoring visits to gather direct feedback from field implementers, including SPPG managers and schools, as part of efforts to refine the programme’s execution.