TII: BGN leadership change an opportunity for comprehensive MBG reform
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Institute (TII) has stated that the change in leadership at the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) presents an opportunity to reform the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme through a comprehensive audit, transparency, impact-based evaluation, and public participation.
TII Social Researcher Made Natasya Restu Dewi Pratiwi said in Jakarta on Friday that her organisation believes improvements to MBG must begin with a more thorough evaluation of its governance.
“Findings from TII’s 2025 Mid-Year Policy Assessment show that MBG still has aspects requiring improvement, namely the uneven competency of Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) officers, weak food safety supervision, limited data transparency and programme evaluation, as well as minimal involvement of the community and local governments in the monitoring process,” Natasya said.
She also cautioned that the involvement of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in MBG funding must be handled carefully and regulated transparently and accountably.
“Do not let CSR involvement open up space for cross-product promotion that is not aligned with MBG’s goal of building healthy eating patterns in children,” Natasya said.
Similarly, Senior Research and Policy Analyst at the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS), Jimmy Daniel Berlianto, assessed that MBG governance remains too centralistic.
According to him, the programme would be more effective if it provided greater space for local governments, schools, local farmers, and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the food sector to be involved in both its planning and implementation.
In this way, Jimmy said, inequality in food access can be prevented and the distribution of food ingredients used in MBG menus becomes relevant to local community preferences.
According to him, the design of MBG must not stop at merely distributing food. The programme needs to be directed towards creating long-term behavioural change through sustainable nutrition education. Beneficiaries need to be equipped with an understanding of choosing balanced nutritious foods and consuming healthy local foods.
Both analysts assessed that MBG reform must be directed towards governance that is more transparent, participatory, and evidence-based.
Furthermore, programme evaluation must also focus on real impacts, such as improving the nutritional status of beneficiaries, reducing disparities in access to nutritious food, strengthening local food security, and increasing the involvement of the community and local governments in the decision-making process.
“The change in BGN leadership must be a momentum to fix the root problems of MBG governance so that the programme’s objectives can be achieved more effectively, inclusively, and sustainably, as well as accountably and transparently,” they said.