"When an MBG kitchen is newly established by partners, the main beneficiaries that must be identified are toddlers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers," Deputy Head of BGN Sony Sonjaya said during an MBG Program consolidation meeting here on Saturday.
He noted that 77 countries have implemented school meal programs. However, Indonesia’s initiative goes beyond school meals by also prioritizing toddlers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.
"This is the advantage of the MBG Program. Only in Indonesia is there a meal program where the food is delivered to homes by health center cadres, specifically for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. That is its uniqueness; other countries do not have this," he said.
Therefore, he urged partners to prioritize the vulnerable 3B group in implementing the MBG Program, as it concerns the first 1,000 days of life.
"The government has paid attention even from the womb, in the form of a fetus. The mindset must be aligned that free nutritious meals should first be provided to the 3B group. This should be prioritized instead of going directly to schools to collect data on beneficiaries," he said.
According to him, misconceptions arose because the program was initially introduced as a school lunch initiative. However, the understanding must be corrected, as the MBG Program is aimed at vulnerable groups to ensure the nutritional quality of the first 1,000 days of life before extending it to students.
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Translator: Dian, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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