Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has urged Nutritional Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs), which provide food to the Free Nutritious Meals program, to strengthen communication in response to food safety issues in the program."SPPGs are not only nutritional service kitchens but also the faces of the BGN as the spearhead of the MBG program," Head of the Legal and Public Relations Bureau of the BGN, Khairul Hidayati, said in an official statement here on Sunday.
She emphasized the importance of public communication in maintaining people's trust in the free meals program, which is one of the priority programs of President Prabowo Subianto's administration.
According to her, the news regarding incidents related to food and nutrition will spread quickly and affect the public perception. This includes the food safety incident that recently occurred.
"This condition requires us to provide services swiftly, while also providing a good explanation to the public. People have the right to clear, accurate, and convincing information," she remarked.
Hidayati underscored that public communication must be an essential part of nutritional services. In addition to focusing on operational matters, heads of SPPGs are also required to represent BGN well in regions.
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She emphasized that by utilizing digital technology, improving the capacity of human resources, and building solid communication networks, all SPPGs will be able to turn all the challenges into opportunities.
"Good services must go hand in hand with good communication. This is a simple principle that we must uphold," she stressed.
The MBG program was launched on January 6, 2025, as one of the main initiatives of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka for their 2024–2029 term.
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Through the program, the government aims to improve the nutritional status of children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to the high school level.
President Prabowo has earlier highlighted his commitment to continue the MBG program with an allocated budget of Rp335 trillion (approximately US$20.12 billion) in the 2026 draft state budget.
