Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s flagship free nutritious meal programme is improving children’s health and encouraging greater participation in school activities, the head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) said, while urging families to support the effort with better diets at home.“With MBG, children are more enthusiastic about going to school. In several regions, they are more eager to take part in school activities and they are much healthier,” agency chief Dadan Hindayana said in a podcast monitored on Tuesday, referring to the Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) programme.
Hindayana said the scheme has reached more than 58 million beneficiaries nationwide, including pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, infants and students from pre-school through senior high school.
Despite the gains, he warned that the programme’s success in lifting the quality of Indonesia’s human resources depends on continued nutritional support from families after school hours.
“Without such support at home, the programme may not succeed,” Hindayana said, pointing to common practices that undermine balanced diets.
“Often, parents feed their children whatever satisfies them and give in to their preferences, such as eating rice with instant noodles, which lacks adequate nutritional value,” he added.
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He said each meal should contain balanced nutrients, including sufficient energy, protein, fat and fibre, to meet a child’s daily dietary needs and support healthy growth.
To reinforce the programme’s impact, the government plans to step up public education, targeting communities to raise awareness of proper nutrition and what children need to consume at each stage of development.
“We will work to create a new programme to help residents understand the MBG policy,” Hindayana said, without giving further details.
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The MBG initiative, one of President Prabowo Subianto’s key social policies, is aimed at tackling child malnutrition and stunting while boosting school attendance, particularly in poorer regions.
Hindayana said his agency is also committed to optimising its budget to ensure that MBG food packages reach children across the archipelago.
“No one will be left behind,” he said, adding that logistical challenges in remote areas remain a priority for the agency.
