Without Food Safety and Health Governance, MBG Risk Backfiring

By Irene Bougenville Martin *)

JAKARTA, investortrust.id - At its core, MBG (Free Nutritious Meals) or Makanan Bergizi Gratis) is a human capital investment with clear economic spillovers. Properly designed, a program initially intended to address stunting has the potential to tackle all forms of malnutrition in Indonesia—provided that meals are tailored to the specific nutritional needs associated with each condition, including stunting, wasting, underweight, and overweight.

Large-scale meal provision has also been shown to generate employment across food preparation, logistics, and procurement, particularly for women. In theory, this aligns closely with President Prabowo’s vision of inclusive growth and national resilience.

However, economic logic alone does not guarantee nutritional impact. An early literature review conducted by Youth Health Hub Indonesia (YHHI), a foundation I established, suggests that several structural weaknesses could undermine both health outcomes and public trust if left unaddressed.

Targeting and Menu Design: One Size Does Not Fit All

The first challenge lies in beneficiary targeting and menu design. Children experiencing stunting, wasting, underweight, or overweight conditions require different nutritional interventions. Pregnant women with anemia or Chronic Energy Deficiency (CED) need carefully calibrated energy, protein, and micronutrient intake—not standardized food packages.

Yet MBG has not fully operationalized differentiated menus based on physiological needs. Treating all beneficiaries the same may simplify logistics, but it risks inefficiency and limits the program’s ability to achieve meaningful and measurable health outcomes.

Overlap Without Integration

A second concern is institutional overlap without coordination. Pregnant and breastfeeding women are already served through antenatal care, iron supplementation, and supplementary feeding programs under the Ministry of Health. MBG’s twice-weekly distribution raises a fundamental governance question: does it complement existing services, or duplicate them?

Without clear integration between the National Nutrition Agency, puskesmas, and posyandu, MBG risks becoming an additional layer of delivery rather than a system-strengthening intervention.

Why Milk Is Not a Silver Bullet

Milk distribution has become one of the most debated aspects of MBG. For infants aged 0–6 months, exclusive breastfeeding is essential. For children aged 6–23 months, optimal nutrition depends on frequent, diverse, and culturally appropriate complementary feeding.

Formula or growth milk—especially when distributed only twice a week—does not meet daily nutritional needs and carries documented risks, including reduced iron absorption and increased infection rates. This contradicts guidance from the World Health Organization and the Indonesian Pediatric Society.

Physiology also matters. A significant proportion of Indonesians are lactose intolerant—a risk acknowledged in MBG’s own technical guidelines. This raises a fundamental question: why prioritize milk over balanced meals using local protein sources that are more affordable, culturally accepted, and nutritionally adequate?

Food Safety: The Most Dangerous Blind Spot

If there is one issue that could seriously damage MBG, it is food safety governance. Recent food poisoning incidents linked to meal distribution are not isolated accidents; they reflect systemic weaknesses.

Current MBG guidelines focus on cooking timelines but lack detailed protocols on hazard analysis, traceability, reporting mechanisms, and medical response. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) have yet to be embedded across procurement, preparation, and distribution.

This is not a minor technical issue. MBG targets infants, young children, and pregnant women—populations least able to absorb risk. Without mandatory food safety training, temperature control, supplier verification, and monitoring systems, the program risks harming the very groups it aims to protect.

Lessons from Ruteng: Integration Works

In Ruteng, East Nusa Tenggara, where Youth Health Hub Indonesia runs a farm-to-table initiative to address stunting, food insecurity is often attributed to limited land. In reality, Ruteng has productive paddy fields and drylands. The real constraint is fragmentation: crops are not aligned with nutritional needs, caregiving practices are weak, and poverty normalizes ultra-processed foods even when healthier options exist.

Our intervention integrates midwives, nutritionists, farmers, and local governments. Health data guides what is planted, farmers receive continuous support, and communities co-design solutions. The result is improved nutrition outcomes alongside more resilient local economies.

The Political Choice Ahead

Makanan Bergizi Gratis is not a flawed idea. It is a bold one. But bold ideas demand rigorous governance.

Nutrition is indeed economic policy. Yet economics without evidence, safety, and institutional coordination quickly becomes liability. MBG can still succeed—not by moving faster, but by governing better.

Moreover, because this program targets the most underserved communities, strong community participation is not optional. Cultural acceptance, trust, and accountability require openness to feedback and democratic engagement, including from those who criticize because they care. Closing that space risks weakening the very social foundations MBG depends on.

Indonesia does not need another moment of #IndonesiaGelap. It needs a nutrition policy that brings the country closer to the brighter future envisioned on the global stage—one grounded not only in ambition, but in governance that works.

*) Irene Bougenville Martin, Founder and CEO of Youth Health Hub Indonesia; Program Associate of Kadin Indonesia Institute