BGN Moratorium New SPPG, Commission IX of the DPR asks MBG to be channeled through the school kitchen

ILLUSTRATION BETWEEN

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission IX of the House of Representatives, Charles Honoris, welcomed the decision of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to temporarily stop (moratorium) the construction of new Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) kitchens or Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG). He also encouraged the implementation of MBG to be channeled based on kitchens in schools.

"We welcome the various improvement measures announced by the Head of BGN, especially the moratorium policy on the construction of new SPPG kitchens, refocusing beneficiaries, and shifting the focus from quantity to quality of MBG," said Charles Honoris, Monday, June 8.

Charles also appreciated the evaluation carried out by BGN because the refocusing of beneficiaries aims to not burden the state budget. It is known that BGN is also said to shift the focus from the target of 82.9 million beneficiaries to the priority of quality nutritional interventions, especially for vulnerable groups (pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, toddlers) and lagging, leading, and outermost regions (3T).

"The new focus of this reform is what we have been waiting for to ensure that the program runs more effectively, efficiently, and has a real impact on improving the nutritional status of the community," he said.

According to Charles, the moratorium on the construction of a new MBG kitchen should be supported as an opportunity for BGN to conduct a thorough evaluation of the program's governance, improve SOPs, improve the quality of human resources, and ensure that all kitchens that have been operating meet the established food safety and nutritional quality standards.

"Especially in the current state of the country's finances, which are under pressure, the steps to hold back expansion and prioritize improvement are wise and responsible choices," explained Charles.

In a limited fiscal condition, according to Charles, a more targeted approach will increase the efficiency of budget use while increasing the impact of national nutrition improvement. "In addition, this momentum of improvement needs to be used to encourage the transformation of the MBG provision model from a centralized SPPG kitchen approach to a school-based kitchen," said Charles.

Charles said that the MBG kitchen model that is directly centered on the school will allow for closer management of the beneficiaries. This model can also utilize the facilities that are already available at the school.

"Including reducing logistics and distribution costs, strengthening food quality supervision, and opening up space for the participation of schools and communities in the implementation of the program," continued the PDIP Legislator from the Dapil DKI Jakarta III.

Charles assessed that the school-based kitchen approach was also more in line with the main goal of MBG as a nutritional intervention. This is because schools can play a more active role in ensuring the quality of food, nutritional education, and monitoring the condition of students who are the target of the program.

"By utilizing the existing infrastructure, the government can reduce investment and operational costs while increasing the effectiveness of program implementation," he concluded.