Uncooked rice, ultra-processed food included in free meals programme
JAKARTA: The government's free nutritious meal programme has once again come under public scrutiny following reports of uncooked ingredients and ultra-processed foods being distributed in South Tangerang, Banten, as schools begin their holiday break this week.
A foundation operating the Cempaka Putih Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) in East Ciputat, South Tangerang, Banten, admitted to including uncooked rice in its meal packages, alongside protein sources, fruit and ultra-high temperature milk so the food 'could be taken home and stored for longer periods'.
The kitchen stated via its Instagram account, @sppg_yasmit_cemput, earlier this week that the menu was adjusted due to most schools being on break.
However, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) that oversees the programme emphasised that it had never instructed any SPPG to distribute raw food items.
'Distributing raw food is not part of the free nutritious meal policy. There should be no such initiative,' BGN head Dadan Hindayana told The Jakarta Post on Thursday (June 19), adding that the agency had ordered the Cempaka Putih SPPG to immediately halt the practice.
'SPPG units are responsible for continuing to provide meals during school holidays, but only if students and teachers are willing to come to the school. If they don't, then no service should be provided,' Dadan explained.
While the BGN has yet to issue an official policy on how the free meals programme should operate during the school break, Dadan confirmed the agency was currently drafting technical guidelines to address such situations.
'If students are able to come to school, meals will be provided as fresh, ready-to-eat food,' the agency emphasised. Otherwise, the distribution will be adjusted to prioritise other eligible groups, including pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and toddlers.
The programme, a flagship initiative from President Prabowo Subianto's election campaign last year, seeks to tackle the country's persistently high stunting rate, which affects more than 21 per cent of children across Indonesia's population of approximately 282 million.
The government initially allocated Rp 71 trillion (US$$.3 billion) from the 2025 state budget for the programme, later increasing it by an additional Rp 100 trillion to expand its coverage.
In May, it announced that the BGN would receive around Rp 217 trillion next year for the implementation of the free meals programme, the largest allocation among 98 ministries and agencies.
Despite receiving high-level attention from the President, the programme continues to face challenges, including food safety concerns.
The latest incident occurred at a kindergarten in Kulon Progo, Yogyakarta, where several students reportedly suffered vomiting and diarrhoea after consuming free meals on Tuesday.
The Kulon Progo Health Agency promptly dispatched a team to investigate the incident.
Agency head Sri Budi expressed hope that the responsible SPPG unit would learn from the case and improve its operational standards, particularly regarding sanitation, food ingredient selection and storage.
'Schools must also remain vigilant. They need to inspect the food provided to children to prevent similar incidents from recurring,' he said, as quoted by Kompas.com. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
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