This is deemed essential amid the looming fear of inflation, which could be triggered by increased demand for food raw materials needed for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.
"This movement is to help prepare the food raw materials needed for the MBG Program so that it does not cause inflation," BGN Deputy Head, Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, said in an official statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.
During a coordination meeting on regional inflation control on Monday, she explained that the demand for food ingredients for the MBG program is continuously increasing.
This is in line with the rising number of Nutritional Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs) or MBG kitchens operating, which has reached 13,953 units with over 44 million MBG beneficiaries recorded so far.
The increase in demand has caused prices to rise for several commodities, such as vegetables, fruits, eggs, and chicken meat.
According to her, the provision of MBG raw materials could become a problem in the regions if it triggers inflation.
Given MBG's significant impact on the prices of commodities, the BGN urged SPPGs to prepare food in accordance with the conditions of the commodities in the regions.
She explained that SPPGs will be encouraged to use commodities whose prices are dropping while, conversely, reducing the use of commodities whose prices are rising.
Deyang further said that incidents related to food safety have also caused several SPPGs to be more selective about the food raw materials, thereby creating fewer variations in the materials that they use.
To control the availability, she encouraged SPPGs to diversify the raw materials used in the meals that they prepare.
The MBG program was launched on January 6, 2025, as one of the priority programs of President Prabowo Subianto, aimed at improving the nutritional status of children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to the high school level.
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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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