The Free Nutritious Meals (Makan Bergizi Gratis/MBG) program is set to expand its beneficiary coverage while improving service quality. Head of the National Nutrition Agency (Badan Gizi Nasional/BGN), Dadan Hindayana, has targeted 82.9 million beneficiaries, prioritizing pregnant women and children aged two years. This target is expected to contribute to efforts to address stunting in Indonesia. However, amid this ambitious expansion, concerns have emerged that it is not yet fully supported by the readiness of primary healthcare services, integrated health systems, or strengthened and effective food safety oversight.
A lecturer and researcher at the Primary Care Family Medicine Specialty Program, Faculty of Medicine, Public Health, and Nursing, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FK-KMK UGM), Dr. Fitriana Murriya Ekawati, assessed that the MBG program targeting pregnant women and children aged 0-2 years holds strong potential as a strategic entry point to strengthen the continuity of nutrition services.
However, she emphasized that the program should be integrated with existing maternal and child health services, such as antenatal and postnatal care, as well as growth and development monitoring at community health posts (Posyandu).
“If managed in an integrated manner, this program will not only improve nutritional intake but is also expected to strengthen health promotion and prevention efforts, particularly the role of primary care as the main coordinator of family health,” she stated on Thursday (Jan. 22).
According to her, nutritional interventions during the first 1,000 days of life are key to reducing stunting in Indonesia. This period determines physical growth, brain development, and metabolic function, with effects that extend into adulthood.
“If a child experiences malnutrition during the first 1,000 days, it becomes the root cause of long-term health problems, ranging from stunting and cognitive impairment to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases in adulthood,” she explained.
She further noted that expanding the MBG program to include pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children aged 0-2 years reflects a shift in the government’s approach to nutritional interventions.
Previously, interventions tended to be limited to supplementary feeding or supplementation for certain groups. The government is now seeking to ensure adequate nutrition more broadly during the most critical period of the life cycle.
Nevertheless, she stressed that the success of such interventions depends heavily on implementation details in the field.
“Its effectiveness depends greatly on technical implementation, how the program operates in an integrated and sustainable manner, and how it can be combined with other interventions such as improved sanitation, maternal and child healthcare services, as well as appropriate caregiving and feeding practices at the family and community levels,” she elaborated.
Regarding system readiness, she observed that primary healthcare services’ involvement in MBG implementation currently varies across regions.
Cases of food poisoning related to MBG reported in 2025 demonstrate that food safety aspects still require serious strengthening, particularly to protect vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and toddlers.
In this context, she emphasized that primary healthcare services play a strategic role in risk mitigation through cross-sector collaboration, family education, and early detection of adverse events.
“Strengthening the capacity of primary healthcare workers and integrating food safety surveillance are essential to ensure that vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and toddlers are truly protected. Their long-term health outcomes must be monitored through community health centers (Puskesmas) to ensure proper follow-up,” she stated.
In assessing the success of the MBG program, she argued that a reduction in stunting rates alone is insufficient as the sole indicator.
Other equally important indicators include maternal nutritional and health status, reductions in anemia, improved exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, and increased utilization of primary healthcare services by families.
Beyond outcome indicators, she also emphasized the importance of monitoring program processes and quality, including food safety with zero poisoning incidents, compliance with SPPG standards, and improved nutrition literacy among families.
“This approach aligns with the concept of healthcare performance measurement, which emphasizes quality and safety, not merely outputs,” she asserted.
To ensure that the MBG program does not function merely as food assistance, she recommended strengthening integration with the primary healthcare system and adopting a family-based approach as part of a package of promotive and preventive interventions.
These should be linked to maternal and child health services, nutrition education, and monitoring of at-risk families.
Involving community health cadres, strengthening cross-sectoral capacity of primary healthcare personnel, and utilizing data for continuous planning and monitoring are appropriate steps to reinforce family resilience and the primary healthcare system.
“With this approach, MBG can contribute to strengthening family resilience and primary healthcare systems that support families’ long-term health independence,” she explained.
Furthermore, she emphasized that the role of primary healthcare must be continuously monitored from the planning stage through the MBG program’s implementation cycle.
She noted that primary healthcare workers at Puskesmas possess essential data, such as histories of anemia, hypertension during pregnancy, or child growth and developmental disorders, which can be used to personalize MBG interventions.
Through this approach, primary care services can assess whether the interventions truly improve nutritional status. Therefore, she underscored the importance of cross-sector collaboration in maintaining the quality of MBG implementation.
“This program is a shared responsibility. The implementation of nutritional fulfillment efforts requires extensive cross-sector collaboration to support the expansion of benefits for all parties,” Dr. Ekawati concluded.
Author: Cyntia Noviana
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Illustration: Alodokter