Menu Dahsyat Dari Jatirejo, Juru Jitu Cegah Stunting Lewat Masapan Rumahan

JAKARTA - In Jatirejo Village, Gunungpati District, Semarang, one unique program has been proven to be effective in reducing the stunting rate that has been carried out, namely the MenU Dahsyat (Healthy Kitchen Overcoming Stunting).

Jatirejo Village is included as one of the urban villages that focuses on intervention in accelerating stunting reduction in 2025, based on the Semarang Mayor's decision to determine Jatirejo along with a number of other urban villages as a priority for handling stunting in an integrated and coordinated manner.

This program invites mothers with toddlers and toddlers to cook with village cadres, while being guided by nutritionists from Diponegoro University to compose a nutritious menu but easy to make.

After cooking, food is eaten with children and can be brought home so that they can be tried at home. Every cooking session together, mothers are invited to practice immediately, from knowing the ingredients, the right way to cook, to understanding the nutritional content.

The children also eat together, then the food can also be brought home for a retrial at home.

The menu is arranged in such a way that it does not repeat itself and remains attractive, usually updated several times a month. The basic principle is that every food must be quite nutritional, easy to make, and pocket friendly.

According to the Deputy for Population Control of the BKKBN, Bonifasius Prasetya Ikhtiarto, the success of the Menu Dahsyat program is not just a matter of numbers. But how to educate mothers to understand the importance of child nutrition and nutrition to prevent stunting in the area.

"The approaches applied range from education, cooking together practices, to understanding basic nutrition have succeeded in changing the behavior of mothers. They are now more confident in serving healthy food for children," he said at the visit of Kokolaka Family Village (KB), Jatirejo Village, Gunungpati District, Semarang District, Friday, July 25.

Furthermore, the main focus of the Dahsyat menu itself lies in animal protein and healthy fat, two important substances for children's growth and development under five years old.

"That's why there are many soup menus such as chicken soup or fish soup. High fat and protein content is very important during the growth period of toddlers," said the Nutritionist from UNDIP on the same occasion.

Vegetables are still given, but more as an introduction to taste and color. Meanwhile, local spices are used to replace MSG, and even shrimp heads are used as sources of nutrition as well as natural tapping.

The Dahsyat menu is part of a wider movement in KB Village. Of the 85 villages and sub-districts in Semarang, half already have a special working group for this program.

Although it has only been widely implemented since 2023, the results have been seen. Stunting decreased, and mothers are now more confident in serving healthy food to their families.

The most important thing of all is behavior change. Mothers are now not only cooking, but know why food is important for children's growth and development,"

"This method is proven to reduce stunting, because the latest data shows that Jatirejo Village has zero stunting thanks to the behavior of the community, which makes them good at cooking. Later combined with Free Nutrition Food (MBG) which focuses on pregnant women and children's nutrition," concluded Bonifasius.