MBG's Fresh Milk Content Is Only 30 Percent, BGN Expert Team: Already In Accordance With BPOM Rules

JAKARTA - Professor of Milk Science and Technology, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) as well as the Expert Team for the Milk Division of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Epi Taufik emphasized that the composition of milk in the free nutritious eating program (MBG) is difficult in accordance with the regulations of the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM).

For your information, the content of fresh milk as much as 30 percent in the MBG program has become a polemic. This is because people think that the fresh milk content should reach 100 percent.

Epi said that naturally, fresh cow's milk contains 88 percent water, and 12 percent dry material, which consists of fat, protein, lactose or carbohydrates, and minerals. Therefore, the assumption that quality milk must contain all pure milk without water is an error that often appears in society.

"Susu sap segar, especially those currently mostly from Frisian Holstein (FH) cows, as well as goat milk, and even breast milk (Mother's Milk), the main ingredient is water," Epi said in an official statement, Sunday, October 12.

Epi said the MBG's nutritional content had been regulated following the special specifications of BGN by following BPOM Regulation Number 13 of 2023 concerning the Food Category, especially in Section 01.1.2 concerning Cair Plain Milk in the form of Recombination Full Fat Milk.

Based on this regulation, continued Epi, MBG's milk is categorized as a fat milk full of recommendations with a minimum fresh milk raw material of 20 percent, plus milk solids with nutritional content such as fresh milk.

"The calcium content is no less than 15 percent daily value, fat levels are no less than 3 percent, protein levels are no less than 2.7 percent, and carbohydrate and mineral levels are no less than 7.8 percent," he said.

Epi emphasized that the content of 20 percent of fresh milk in MBG's milk composition does not mean that the rest is only water. He made sure his nutritional levels did not decrease.

"So, that doesn't mean if the fresh milk is 20 percent then the rest is all water," said Epi.

Initially, President Prabowo Subianto requested that MBG's milk be 100 percent made from fresh domestically produced milk. However, since 1998 until now, domestic fresh milk production has only met 20 percent of the national demand.

"Our fresh milk production is less than 1 million tons per year. So to cover the need for regular milk in the country before the MBG alone must be imported 80 percent, with the additional MGB milk needs, the availability of domestic fresh milk will decrease," he said.