He told the press here on Thursday that 51,000 family assistance teams are deployed to deliver the nutritious meals daily to these target groups.
According to him, the Ministry of Population and Family Development is collaborating with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to continuously educate TPK members on adhering to standard operating procedures (SOPs) during meal delivery.
This follows a recent incident where a TPK member transferred food into plastic bags to protect it from the rain.
Wihaji further said that, as a gesture of government appreciation, the BGN has issued technical guidelines stating that every TPK member who delivers a meal to a beneficiary will receive a transport reimbursement of Rp1,000 (approximately US$0.059) per package.
Although this has not yet been implemented in all regions, the minister urged every Nutritional Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) or MBG kitchen to address this matter.
"The BGN has already issued the guidelines; it is officially stated that for every meal container delivered, the person distributing it receives Rp1,000 ... We certainly hope these guidelines serve as a standard for all SPPGs," he remarked.
The minister also pointed out that the free meals program must be accompanied by education on preventing early marriage to ensure the program effectively prevents stunting.
"One of the causes of stunting is poor nutritional intake, but there are also three other factors: lack of clean water, poor sanitation, and early marriage," he said.
The MBG program was launched by the Indonesian government 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.
With a target of 82.9 million beneficiaries, the program is one of the largest programs implemented in the country.
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Translator: Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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