Parents’ Expectations on the Emerging Free Nutritious Meal Program in Indonesia
Abstract
This study looks at how parents perceive Indonesia’s newly introduced school feeding program initiative, Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), or the Free Nutritious Meal Program, with particular attention to how they expect the program to be implemented in practice. Data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed via Google Forms to a nationwide sample of parents (n=1,014) between June 25 and July 25, 2024. Parents were asked an open-ended question regarding their expectations of the MBG program, and responses were analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. Overall, parents placed strong importance on integrating food and nutrition education into school curricula, alongside regular monitoring of central kitchens and the implementation of anti-corruption measures through transparent reporting systems. Another point raised by parents was the need for an accessible monitoring and evaluation mechanism, including public documentation of local ingredient sourcing, annual financial reporting, oversight of hygiene and food safety, routine satisfaction surveys involving students and parents, and regular performance assessments of central kitchen personnel. Overall, the MBG program is viewed with both optimism and caution. Taken together, these findings point to the importance of transparent governance and active collaboration among parents, schools, and program implementers in supporting long-term sustainability, accountability, and improved nutritional outcomes.
Full text article
References
Accad MD, Caagbay C, Villanueva FS. 2017. Parents’ perception on participation in School-Based Feeding Program at Tanzang Luma Elementary School. ResearchGate https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.16059.77605
Ayuningtyas D, Hapsari D, Rachmalina R, Amir V, Rachmawati R, Kusuma D. 2022. Geographic and socioeconomic disparity in child undernutrition across 514 districts in Indonesia. Nutr 14(4):843. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14040843
Bigson K, Essuman EK, Lotse CW. 2020. Food hygiene practices at the Ghana school feeding programme in Wa and Cape Coast cities. J Environ Public Health 2020(1):9083716. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9083716
Bundy D, Silva ND, Horton S, Jamison DT, Patton GC, Schultz L, Galloway R, Bing K, Azzopardi P, Kennedy E, et al. 2018. Re-Imagining School Feeding: A High-Return Investment in Human Capital and Local Economies. Washington (USA): World Bank Group.
Burkhart S, Hayman A, Lam F, Jones B, Horsey B, Craven D, Underhill S. 2023. School food programmes in the Pacific Islands: Exploring opportunities and challenges for creating healthier school food environments. Pub Health Nutr 26(2):455−466. https://doi:10.1017/S1368980022001951
de Vries Mecheva M, Rieger M, Sparrow R, Prafiantini E, Agustina R. 2023. Behavioural and environmental risk factors associated with primary schoolchildren’s overweight and obesity in urban Indonesia. Pub Health Nutr 26(8):1562−1575. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980023000897
Dessie G, Li J, Nghiem S, Doan T. 2025. Child stunting, thinness, and their academic performance in Ethiopia: A longitudinal study. Soc Sci Med 373:118050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118050
Duan X, Liang Y, Peng X. 2024. Free school meals and cognitive ability: Evidence from China's student nutrition improvement plan. Health Econ 33(7):1480−1502. https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.4824
Jahroh S, Meliala JS. 2021. Impacts of aggregator business on farmers’ income. J Manag Agribisnis 18(2):168. https://doi.org/10.17358/jma.18.2.168
Jamilah L, Najib M, Kirbrandoko K. 2019. Identification of stakeholders’ role in the social entrepreneur of sea cultivation of Vaname shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). J Manag Agribisnis 16(3):323–333. https://doi.org/10.17358/jma.16.3.111
Lim A, Reinhart C, Vera L. 2024. Towards a sustainable School Food Program (SFP) in Indonesia. Lessons learned from global examples of school food programs [Student Policy Report]. Stanford (USA): Standford Law School.
Oktaviani TA, Suwarni L, Selviana S. 2023. Risk factors related to stunting. J Info Kesehat 21(4):854–863. https://doi.org/10.31965/infokes.vol21.iss4.1292
Opara V, Spangsdorf S, Ryan MK. 2021. Reflecting on the use of Google Docs for online interviews: Innovation in qualitative data collection. Qual Res 23(3):561–578. https://doi.org/10.1177/14687941211045192
Seko Y, Wong V, Adachi R, Tiessen JH. 2026. Food diversity and aging well in a multicultural city: A Case study of Japanese Canadian (Nikkei) seniors and community congregate dining. Can J Aging 45(1):152−161. https://doi.org/10.1017/S071498082400038X
Suryani D, Sutomo A, Aman AT. 2019. The factors associated with food safety practices among food handlers in primary school canteens. Unnes J Public Health 8(1):1–9. https://doi.org/10.15294/ujph.v8i1.22830
Yunitasari AR, Dewi Sartika RA, Setiarini A. 2020. Household factors associated with underweight in children aged 24–59 months in Indonesia. MKMI 16(1):140–151. https://doi.org/10.30597/mkmi.v16i1.9105
Wang D, Fawzi WW. 2020. Impacts of school feeding on educational and health outcomes of school-age children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Syst Rev 9:55. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-020-01317-6
Xu W, Zammit K. 2020. Applying thematic analysis to education: A hybrid approach to interpreting data in practitioner research. Int J Qual Methods 19:1609406920918810. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406920918810
Authors
Copyright (c) 2026 Jurnal Gizi dan Pangan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The copyrights of manuscripts shall be assigned/transferred to Jurnal Gizi dan Pangan (Indonesian Journal of Nutrition and Food).
Article Details
How to Cite
