Muhammadiyah urges comprehensive reform of free nutritious meal programme governance
The nutritious meal programme is an important endeavour in preparing a healthy, intelligent, and highly competitive generation of future national leaders. Various criticisms must be used as momentum to improve and strengthen the management system. Muhammadiyah is urging a comprehensive overhaul of the management system for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Programme to ensure it continues to run in line with national strategic targets. Director of the Muhammadiyah Nutrition Service and Fulfilment Agency (BPPGM) M. Nurul Yamin stated in Jakarta on Thursday that the various dynamics and sharp criticisms emerging recently from multiple parties should be seized as momentum to strengthen the system’s field management. “The nutritious meal programme is one of the important efforts in preparing a generation of successors who are healthy, intelligent, and highly competitive. Various criticisms must be used as momentum to improve and strengthen the management system,” said Nurul Yamin. In overseeing the programme, Muhammadiyah is emphasising three main pillars that must become quality standards: food safety covering halal, wholesome, and safe aspects; professional governance; and sustainable ecosystem development. To support this success, Muhammadiyah also affirmed its commitment to becoming a strategic government partner by mobilising its Muhammadiyah Charitable Enterprises (AUM) network operating in education, health, and social services. BPPGM reminded that the success of the MBG Programme is not solely measured by the quantity of beneficiaries, but by the strengthening of manager capacity, regular supervision, and budget transparency established by the government. “So there are three main pillars that must become standards in Muhammadiyah’s MBG management: food safety covering halal, wholesome, and safe for consumption aspects; second, trustworthy and professional governance; third, sustainable ecosystem development,” said Nurul Yamin.