The Implementation of MBG Is Disrupting Nutrition Governance in Indonesia

OpinionOpini

Pelaksanaan MBG justru mengganggu tata kelola gizi di Indonesia CISDI Secretariat • 14 Nov 2025

The implementation of MBG is in fact disrupting nutrition governance in Indonesia. CISDI Secretariat • 14 Nov 2025

Asih (bukan nama sebenarnya) membagikan pengalamannya sebagai ibu menyusui penerima program Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG). Sejak Juni lalu, ibu hamil/menyusui, serta balita di daerahnya Palembang, Sumatra Selatan, mulai menerima biskuit rasa susu, bubur makanan pendamping air susu ibu (MPASI), hingga susu formula.

Asih (not her real name) shared her experience as a breastfeeding mother receiving benefits from the Free Nutritious Meals program, or MBG. Since last June, pregnant and breastfeeding women, as well as toddlers in her area of Palembang, South Sumatra, have begun receiving milk-flavored biscuits, complementary feeding porridge, and even infant formula.

Ranti, a mother of two children aged two and four in Karanganyar, Central Java, has had a similar experience. She received complementary feeding porridge intended for a six-month-old child. Ranti also received ready-to-eat menus, such as rice with dry shredded meat, spaghetti, flour-fried tempeh, and vegetables consisting only of cucumber and lettuce.

Hal serupa dialami Ranti, ibu dengan dua anak berusia 2 dan 4 tahun di Karanganyar, Jawa Tengah. Ia mendapatkan bubur MPASI untuk anak usia 6 bulan. Ranti juga memperoleh menu siap saji, seperti nasi dengan abon kering, spageti, tempe goreng tepung, serta sayuran yang hanya berupa timun dan selada.

Yet before MBG existed, Ranti and Asih had always received fish, eggs, and fruit through the Posyandu supplementary feeding program, or PMT, which is specifically intended for toddlers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.

Padahal sebelum ada MBG, Ranti dan Asih selalu mendapatkan ikan, telur, dan buah dari program Pemberian Makanan Tambahan (PMT) Posyandu yang dikhususkan untuk balita, ibu hamil dan menyusui.

Speaking to us, Asih and Ranti said they felt uneasy because the menus they received from MBG seemed to contradict the Posyandu PMT guidelines for infant and young-child feeding.

Kepada kami, Asih dan Ranti mengaku tidak nyaman karena merasa menu yang mereka terima dari MBG bertentangan dengan pedoman pemberian makanan bayi dan anak dari PMT Posyandu.

Those guidelines, introduced in 2014, in fact encourage the use of local food ingredients in balanced nutritious meals, such as corn fish porridge, pumpkin fish soup, and purple sweet-potato egg pudding. They also do not recommend the use of ultra-processed foods in menus for toddlers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.

Pedoman yang diluncurkan sejak 2014 tersebut justru mendorong penggunaan bahan pangan lokal dengan menu makanan bergizi seimbang, seperti bubur ikan jagung, sup ikan labu kuning, dan puding telur ubi ungu. Pedoman ini juga tidak menyarankan penggunaan pangan ultraproses dalam menu makanan balita, ibu hamil dan menyusui.

Ironically, the presence of MBG is disrupting the development of nutrition governance in Indonesia, something that has been pursued over the past decade.

Ironisnya, kehadiran MBG justru mengganggu perkembangan tata kelola gizi di Indonesia yang sudah diupayakan dalam satu dekade terakhir.

Nutrition Governance From Year to YearTata kelola gizi dari tahun ke tahun

Efforts to rebuild nutrition governance in Indonesia over the past decade were marked by the issuance of Minister of Health Regulation No. 14/2014 on balanced nutrition guidelines, along with its technical guidance: Isi Piringku, or Fill My Plate.

Upaya membangun ulang tata kelola gizi di Indonesia dalam dekade terakhir ditandai dengan terbitnya Permenkes No. 14/2014 mengenai pedoman gizi seimbang, disertai petunjuk teknisnya: Isi Piringku.

One aspect of this policy is its view that milk is no longer relevant as the element that perfects nutritional fulfillment. Instead, priority is given to meeting micronutrient needs through diverse local foods, such as fish, red meat, chicken, and eggs.

Kebijakan ini salah satunya menganggap bahwa susu tak lagi relevan sebagai penyempurna pemenuhan gizi. Sebagai gantinya, pemenuhan mikronutrien diprioritaskan bersumber dari pangan lokal yang beragam, seperti ikan, daging merah, ayam, dan telur.

In the 2019-2021 period, the government introduced Minister of Health Regulation No. 28/2019 on recommended dietary allowances, or AKG, as well as Presidential Regulation No. 72/2021 on accelerating stunting reduction.

Pada periode 2019-2021, pemerintah memperkenalkan Permenkes No. 28/2019 mengenai angka kecukupan gizi (AKG), serta Perpres No. 72/2021 mengenai percepatan penanggulangan stunting.

In broad terms, the AKG regulation sets minimum cost standards for nutrition programs within social security policy, calculated on the basis of local foods.

Secara garis besar, Permenkes AKG mengatur standar minimal biaya program gizi dalam kebijakan jaminan sosial yang dihitung berdasarkan pangan lokal.

The Stunting Presidential Regulation, meanwhile, became the foundation for fulfilling children’s nutritional needs during the first thousand days of life. Its implementation is not centralized; it involves local governments and communities as its executors.

Adapun Perpres Stunting menjadi landasan pemenuhan gizi pada seribu hari pertama kehidupan anak. Pelaksanaan perpres ini tidak terpusat, melibatkan pemerintah daerah hingga masyarakat sebagai pelaksananya.

Many regions then issued local regulations to localize these rules, such as shifting from eggs to fish as a source of local food-based protein.

Banyak daerah kemudian mengeluarkan peraturan daerah untuk melokalisasi aturan tersebut, seperti pengalihan telur menjadi ikan sebagai sumber protein berbasis pangan lokal.

In 2022, the government issued a Joint Decree of Four Ministers on Aksi Bergizi, or Nutrition Action.

Pada 2022, pemerintah mengeluarkan Surat Keputusan Bersama Empat Menteri mengenai Aksi Bergizi.

This comprehensive nutrition program targets school-age children by combining physical activity, nutrition education, nutritional supplementation through iron tablets, and shared nutritious breakfasts.

Program gizi komprehensif ini menyasar anak usia sekolah dengan mengkombinasikan aktivitas fisik, edukasi gizi, suplementasi gizi (pemberian tablet tambah darah), dan sarapan bergizi bersama.

Beyond students, all components of the school food ecosystem benefit from it, from teachers and parents to canteen staff. The intervention package provided to students is also tailored to each individual’s nutritional problems, making the program more precisely targeted.

Selain siswa, semua komponen ekosistem pangan di sekolah menjadi penerima manfaatnya mulai dari guru, orang tua, hingga petugas kantin. Paket intervensi yang diberikan kepada siswa juga disesuaikan dengan persoalan gizi setiap individu, sehingga program ini jadi lebih tepat sasaran.

In 2023-2024, Law No. 17/2023 on Health was passed, followed by the enactment of Government Regulation No. 28/2024. Both are strategic pillars in nutrition fulfillment programs beyond the first thousand days of life.

Pada 2023-2024, UU No. 17/2023 tentang Kesehatan disahkan, disusul dengan pengesahan Peraturan Pemerintah No. 28 /2024. Keduanya merupakan pilar strategis dalam program pemenuhan gizi di luar usia seribu hari pertama kehidupan.

These two rules integrate nutrition fulfillment programs with nutritional-status monitoring, nutrition education, and the provision of nutritional supplements throughout the life cycle.

Kedua aturan ini mengintegrasikan program pemenuhan gizi dengan pemantauan status gizi, pendidikan gizi, dan pemberian suplemen gizi sepanjang siklus hidup.

In addition, both regulations emphasize the importance of controlling commercial factors that affect health, such as restrictions on the marketing and sponsorship of food products high in sugar, salt, and fat, as well as prohibitions on the marketing of infant formula that may interfere with exclusive breastfeeding.

Selain itu, kedua regulasi menekankan pentingnya pengendalian faktor komersial yang memengaruhi kesehatan, seperti pembatasan pemasaran dan sponsorship produk pangan tinggi gula, garam, lemak. Lalu, pelarangan pemasaran susu formula yang dapat mengganggu pemberian ASI eksklusif.

A number of shortcomings in implementation do remain, including the excessive burden placed on health cadres without proper incentives, the quality of data collection and reporting, and field supervision that is still not optimal.

Sejumlah kekurangan dalam penerapannya memang masih ada, seperti beban berlebih kader kesehatan tanpa insentif yang layak, kualitas pendataan dan pelaporan, hingga belum optimalnya supervisi di lapangan.

There are also problems in drafting various derivative regulations and in aligning policies in sectors outside health.

Ditambah lagi, masalah penyusunan berbagai aturan turunan hingga penyelarasan kebijakan pada sektor di luar kesehatan.

In principle, however, the experience and knowledge built over the past decade are already sufficient to serve as the foundation for nutrition fulfillment in Indonesia through a decentralized, community-based system oriented toward local foods, accompanied by efforts to control commercial factors that affect health.

Namun secara prinsip, pengalaman dan pengetahuan yang dibangun selama satu dekade terakhir sudah cukup untuk menjadi fondasi pemenuhan gizi di Indonesia dengan sistem desentralisasi, berbasis komunitas, berorientasi pada pangan lokal, disertai upaya pengendalian faktor komersial yang memengaruhi kesehatan.

MBG Disrupts Nutrition GovernanceMBG mengganggu tata kelola gizi

Instead of perfecting the nutrition governance that has already been built, the MBG approach runs counter to the previous approach.

Alih-alih menyempurnakan tata kelola gizi yang sudah terbangun, pendekatan MBG justru berlawanan dengan pendekatan sebelumnya.

Research by the Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) in 2025 found that MBG implementation is centralized and confined to the activities of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG).

Riset Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) tahun 2025 menemukan bahwa pelaksanaan MBG terpusat sebatas pada aktivitas Badan Gizi Nasional (BGN) dan Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG).

In addition, coordination between BGN and other ministries and institutions rests only on memoranda of understanding.

Selain itu, koordinasi antara BGN dengan kementerian dan lembaga lain hanya berlandaskan nota kesepahaman.

Local governments have no authority over program planning, budgeting, implementation, or monitoring. This further entrenches MBG’s centralized governance.

Pemerintah daerah tidak berwenang dalam perencanaan, penganggaran, penerapan, dan pemantauan program. Ini semakin mengukuhkan tata kelola MBG yang sentralistik.

Nor are there any rules restricting the procurement of ultra-processed foods high in sugar, salt, and fat.

Belum lagi tidak ada aturan mengenai pembatasan pengadaan pangan ultraproses tinggi gula, garam, dan lemak.

CISDI research published earlier this year showed that 45 percent of 29 sampled MBG menus contained high-sugar flavored milk as a menu component.

Riset CISDI yang terbit pada awal tahun ini menunjukkan 45% dari 29 sampel menu MBG mengandung susu berperisa tinggi gula sebagai komponen menunya.

In June 2025, Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan even said he would intensify the old “Four Healthy, Five Perfect” approach again through the MBG program. Yet that approach was abandoned long ago and replaced by balanced nutrition guidelines.

Menteri Koordinator Bidang Pangan, Zulkifli Hasan, pada Juni 2025 bahkan menyebutkan akan menggencarkan kembali 4 sehat 5 sempurna melalui program MBG. Padahal, pendekatan ini sudah lama ditinggalkan, digantikan dengan pedoman gizi seimbang.

Concern that MBG will disrupt the nutrition governance built up to date has therefore grown stronger. What Asih and Ranti experienced, for instance, shows how MBG can dull the public’s nutrition literacy, which has been formed over recent years.

Kekhawatiran MBG akan mengganggu tata kelola gizi yang sudah ada selama ini pun menguat. Apa yang dialami Asih dan Ranti, misalnya, menunjukkan bagaimana MBG justru bisa menumpulkan perilaku melek gizi masyarakat yang sudah terbentuk dalam beberapa tahun terakhir.

Moreover, MBG’s presence could affect nutrition services and the food ecosystem that supports them, thereby running counter to efforts to prevent noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.

Selain itu, kehadiran MBG justru bisa berdampak terhadap layanan gizi maupun ekosistem pangan pendukungnya, sehingga berlawanan terhadap upaya pencegahan penyakit tidak menular, seperti diabetes dan hipertensi.

What Should Be Done?

Bagaimana seharusnya?

There are three recommendations to ensure that MBG implementation remains aligned with the development of nutrition governance that has been built so far.

Ada tiga rekomendasi agar pelaksanaan MBG tetap sejalan dengan perkembangan tata kelola gizi yang sudah terbangun selama ini.

First, MBG governance must be decentralized, community-based, and integrated with the health system. A decentralized approach would allow local governments to adapt the MBG program to the nutritional problems in their own regions.

Pertama, tata kelola MBG harus bersifat tidak terpusat, berbasis komunitas, dan terintegrasi dengan sistem kesehatan. Pendekatan tidak terpusat memungkinkan pemerintah daerah menyesuaikan program MBG dengan persoalan gizi di wilayahnya.

Second, the government needs to establish a formal cross-sector coordination structure in the MBG Presidential Regulation. Civil society should also be involved, from school committees, including parents, to academics, experts, health cadres, and civil-society organizations, as part of MBG steering teams at both national and regional levels.

Kedua, pemerintah perlu membentuk struktur koordinasi lintas sektor secara formal dalam Perpres MBG. Libatkan pula masyarakat sipil, mulai dari komite sekolah (termasuk orang tua), akademisi, pakar, kader kesehatan, hingga organisasi masyarakat sipil sebagai tim pengarah MBG di tingkat nasional maupun daerah.

Finally, for MBG’s goal of improving the public’s healthy eating patterns to be achieved, the program must prioritize fresh local foods while also ensuring restrictions on the use of ultra-processed food products high in sugar, salt, and fat.

Terakhir, agar tujuan MBG dalam memperbaiki pola makan sehat masyarakat tercapai, program ini harus memprioritaskan pangan segar lokal sekaligus memastikan pembatasan penggunaan produk pangan ultraproses yang tinggi gula, garam, dan lemak.

--- Written by:

--- Ditulis oleh:

Muhammad Iqbal Hafizon, Researcher and Senior Analyst for Health Policy, Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI)

Muhammad Iqbal Hafizon, Researcher & Senior Analyst for Health Policy, Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI)

This article was previously published on theconversation.com on 14 November 2025. It is republished on this website for documentation and educational purposes.

Artikel ini sebelumnya diterbitkan di theconversation.com pada 14 November 2025. Diterbitkan kembali pada website ini untuk tujuan dokumentasi dan pendidikan.