Reasons For Fish Milk To Replace Cow Milk In The Free Lunch Program

YOGYAKARTA - Not many people know about the reasons why fish milk replaces cow milk in the free lunch program. In addition, the discourse has sparked heated debate in the community.

So can fish milk really be a healthy and nutritious alternative? How is the nutritional content compared to cow's milk? And, is this step the right solution to overcome nutritional problems in Indonesia?

Reporting from the Antarews page, the Head of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Puji Lestari, stated that the "fishsusu" product which will be part of the Free Nutrition Eating Program has several advantages over ordinary cow milk.

One of the advantages of fish milk is lower lactose content, so it is safe for individuals to consume with lactose intolerance.

In addition, protein in fish milk has also decomposed into essential and non-essential amino acids, as well as peptides that are useful for improving the immune system.

Puji explained that protein molecules in fish milk have been hydrated, making them more digestable and absorbed by the body. In addition, if made of fatty fish, fish milk is rich in double unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3, which is important for heart health.

Please note, the process of making fish milk involves hydrolysing fish proteins into flour. To disguise the seams of fish, producers usually add taste and other food supplements.

Meanwhile, according to Fitri Hudayani, a nutritionist from the National Central General Hospital, dr. Cipto Mangunkusumo, fish milk has the potential to be a good source of animal protein.

Fish contain healthy fats and omega-3 which is important for brain growth and development. However, the availability of this product in the market is still limited. In addition, such as cow's milk, fish milk also has allergen potential and needs to be considered in terms of taste and aroma.

Although the replacement of cow's milk into fish milk has caused various speculations, a member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Arzeti Bilbina, has provided her support for the idea.

The use of fish milk as an alternative cow's milk in the Free Nutrition Food Program planned by the President of the 2024 Presidential Election, Prabowo Subianto is strongly supported by Commission IX.

"We strongly support this initiative, because the idea is very good," said Arzeti when responding to the news regarding the plan to replace cow's milk with fish milk in the program.

However, according to Arzeti Bilbina, the naming of fish milk should be changed to "high nutritious drink from fish", because according to her the term would be more appropriate.

According to him, nutritionists assess that the naming of fish milk is not accurate, because the drink does not come directly from fish nipples, as is cow's milk.

In addition, nutritionists do not agree with the use of the term fish milk because milk is generally produced from zoos, while fish do not have nipples. Therefore, the more appropriate term is "high nutritious drink from fish".

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