Malang City Government to Boost Distribution Efficiency of Free Nutritious Meals Programme

The Malang City Government in East Java is committed to helping improve the effectiveness of the distribution chain for Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) packages from the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) to the programme’s beneficiaries. Malang City Regional Secretary Erik Setyo Santoso stated that the city administration possesses a map of beneficiaries, covering school-age children as well as breastfeeding mothers, pregnant women, and toddlers. This map can be used by SPPG to prioritise MBG distribution to the nearest points. “The regional government has a map of beneficiaries, whether they are school-age recipients or from the group of breastfeeding mothers, pregnant women, and toddlers, so we can recommend to the SPPG the closest points within reach,” Erik said. He explained that by relying on this map, meals prepared by the SPPG can be distributed quickly, thus minimising problems in the field. “In this way, the SPPG can ensure spatial suitability for MBG distribution, because if the cooking is done too quickly but packaging takes a long time, the food could go bad,” he noted. One of the requirements that must be met by an SPPG or MBG kitchen is the ownership of a wastewater treatment installation. The city administration consistently provides guidance to SPPG so that this documentary requirement can be fulfilled. If an MBG kitchen is found not to meet operational requirements, the city administration can recommend that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) impose sanctions on the relevant SPPG. Furthermore, another form of support provided involves delivering food handler training for all SPPG kitchen staff. Erik assessed that this stage is important as it serves as a platform for imparting knowledge about food processing and serving patterns that still pay attention to food safety aspects.