Restaurants To Hotels Convert Functions To Free Nutrition Food Providers, BGN Boss: Usually Serve 500 Now 3,500 Portions

JAKARTA - Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, revealed that the implementation of the Free Nutrition Food Program (MBG) has created a new trend in the culinary sector.

A number of restaurants, cafes, catering, and even hotels have now changed their functions to the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) to supply food for beneficiaries of the program.

"Many restaurants, cafes, then catering, and even hotels have changed their function of serving general customers, (now) serving the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit and sending food to various beneficiaries," Dadan said as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat Youtube channel, Wednesday, August 13.

According to him, this change in function has made service capacity increase dramatically. If previously an average restaurant only served around 500 visitors per day, now restaurants that have switched to SPPG can produce up to 3,500 servings of food.

"So, if one restaurant usually serves around 500 visited by visitors. Now, one restaurant that has changed its function to SPPG serves 3,500 serving portions and none of them parks in the restaurant. So, food is sent to schools or home for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers," said Dadan.

Dadan assessed that this transformation not only supports the smooth running of the MBG program, but also opens up new business opportunities for food and hospitality industry players, as well as encouraging economic turnover in the region.

In addition, Dadan continued, this program also provides benefits for material or building store business actors. Because, there are many purchases of materials for the construction of the SPPG kitchen unit.

"So in the regions, the building shops are flooded with purchases for raw materials to build SPPG are purely money from partners," he said.

Currently alone, said Dadan, the MBG Program has reached 15 million beneficiaries who were assisted by 5,103 SPPG in 38 provinces, 502 regencies, and 4,770 sub-districts. "The beneficiary is already above 15 million and God willing, it will be close to 20 million," he said.