Nutrition Agency: Free Nutrition Eating Program Reaches 82.9 Million Recipients From School Children To Pregnant Women

Students eat food during the free nutritious trial at SDN 07 Cideng, Jakarta, Monday (19/8/2024). (ANTARA PHOTO/Muhammad Ramdan/tom).

JAKARTA - Head of the Dadan Hindaya National Nutrition Agency said the Free Nutrition Food Program would reach 82.9 million beneficiaries, including pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, toddlers, and school children from PAUD to SMA, as well as religious schools.

This was conveyed by Dadan Hindayana at the Presidential Palace complex, Jakarta, Tuesday, August 20, after meeting with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"He wants the Nutrition Agency not only to implement the Free Nutrition Eating Program for school children, but more broadly than that, especially the culture of living a healthy life," he said as quoted by ANTARA.

He said there were 82.9 million beneficiaries of the program which included pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, toddlers, and school children from PAUD to SMA, as well as religious schools.

"Essentially, the Nutritious Eating Program will be given to 82.9 million beneficiaries," said Dadan.

Dadan explained, to avoid overlapping with the posyandu program, thorough coordination will be carried out with all related programs.

Regarding the Free Nutrition Eating Program, Dadan said President Jokowi had fully understood the needs of this program, so that the Presidential Decree and Dadan's appointment as head of the agency were issued.

In the near future, said Dadan, the main focus is to prepare the organizational structure and regulations needed for the implementation of the program on February 2, 2025.

Cross-ministerial coordination, including with the Ministry of Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB), the State Secretariat, the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu), and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), will be carried out to ensure smooth programs.