Palu (ANTARA) - The government is determined to leverage the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, an initiative pioneered by President Prabowo Subianto, to improve Indonesian children's nutritional intake, National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Head Dadan Hindayana has affirmed."Mr. President aims to provide food for all children across Indonesia because 60 percent of them lack access to menus with balanced nutritional content," he remarked during an official visit to Palu City, Central Sulawesi, on Thursday.
He pointed out that it is not uncommon in Indonesia to see children being fed meals that stop short of making them full without attention to their nutritional needs. The BGN leader noted that many children rely only on rice or instant noodles with crackers, with their parents unable to afford milk.
"Such menus do not offer sufficient nutrients and are merely filling," Hindayana stated.
In contrast, he underscored that menus provided under the MBG program offer a balanced nutritional content with a composition of 30 percent protein, 40 percent carbohydrate, and 30 percent fiber and minerals.
These meals are available not only to schoolchildren but also to pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers.
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"This is a form of intervention targeting people from all levels of society, including the poor and the rich, children attending public or private schools, students of Islamic boarding schools, as well as those studying in other religious schools," he elaborated.
Regarding his visit to Palu, Hindayana noted that it was his way to discuss a range of matters with local officials, including the development of nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPGs), or MBG kitchens, in remote areas.
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He explained that the government applies two approaches to SPPG development, under one of which construction is delegated to partners. The other one assigns regional governments to manage MBG kitchen development in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost areas.
Since the program's launch last January, over eight thousand SPPGs have become operational, catering to the needs of nearly 30 million MBG beneficiaries nationwide. The broader target is to reach 83 million people this year.
