Free Nutritious Meals: Big Promise or Wasted Potential?

A little over a year ago, some of us sat with experts to map what free nutritious meals could unlock for Indonesia and what might trip it up -- looking hard at nutrition, human capital, local agriculture, and the public budget. The program is now on the ground and reach is visible, yet the past year shows how often announcements ran ahead of kitchens, logistics, and open numbers. The same checklist we drafted then still reads as the yardstick today. Will this become a big promise delivered or a case of wasted potential?

Source: finance.detik.com

Start with food sovereignty.

Last year we warned that menus tied to imported rice and imported milk would make supply fragile and move value away from local producers. We also noted that self-sufficiency is not the same as food security, so limited imports can help when domestic output is short. The risk is overreliance, which exposes schools to global prices and shocks. The answer is diversification using the B2SA (Beragam, Bergizi, Seimbang, dan Aman) principle, which in Indonesian means diverse, nutritious, balanced, and safe, so plates have diverse, nutritious, balanced, and safe food. Give real space to cassava in the east, to sago in Papua, to maize in Sulawesi, and to fish, eggs, fruit, and vegetables from nearby waters and farms. Build domestic capacity in dairy and other staples over time so the program adds to sovereignty rather than diluting it.

Then comes the fiscal reality.

A program this large must be phased and transparent about costs. Separate the price of food, the price of logistics, and the price of overhead. Publish a clear unit cost per learner. Plan for food price pressure when millions of portions hit demand at once. Use medium-term contracts, buffer stocks, and an explicit plan to expand local supply so prices stay stable. Keep the state budget as the backbone while using performance-tied CSR, time-bound grants that do not create dependency, and stronger tax administration. Avoid leaning on debt for recurring food costs and reserve borrowing for durable cold chain and logistics that lower costs over time.

Effectiveness means outcomes, not only outputs.

Free nutritious meals should reduce stunting, anemia, and hunger at school. They should lift attendance and classroom focus. Menus need to be designed by nutritionists and adapted by region and by season. Bring food education into classrooms so children and parents understand the plate and carry new habits home.

The agriculture loop can be a lifeline or a strain.

It is a lifeline when the state buys locally on purpose and helps farmers, fishers, and food processors meet standards. It becomes a strain when volumes rise faster than capacity or when droughts and floods disrupt harvests. Use targeted credit and simple subsidies for small producers. Aggregate supply and add basic testing so quality is consistent. Diversify beyond rice so one crop does not carry the burden alone.

Implementation is the make or break.

Four gaps keep recurring: production data that do not match reality, logistics and thin cold chains that waste food and raise safety risks, budgeting that announces more than systems can deliver, and coordination across ministries, provinces, and schools that slips at the point of delivery. Fix them with better data collection and use. Invest in storage and cold transport where the gaps are largest. Train kitchen teams on hygiene and enforce food safety SOPs every day. Clarify roles between central and regional actors so responsibility does not fall through the cracks.

Transparency and accountability are non-negotiables.

Report openly so the public can follow money, meals, and results. Create a grievance channel that communities can use. Invite independent evaluations by universities and civil society. Publish a few hard indicators on a routine schedule.

The program is also a lever for sustainable development.

Better nutrition today creates healthier and more capable workers tomorrow. A local food loop keeps value close to producers and reduces inequality between regions. A diversified plate lowers stress on a single commodity and builds resilience to climate and market shocks. This only happens if design choices respect geography, culture, and season across the archipelago.

One year on, the checklist from our expert discussion still reads like a map.

Roll out in phases and be honest about costs. Anchor menus in B2SA and in local crops. Buy locally on purpose and help producers meet the bar. Build the delivery machine with data, logistics, and food safety. Publish what you promise and what you achieve so trust can grow. Do this and free nutritious meals deliver the big promise we saw a year ago. Ignore it and the idea then just drifts toward wasted potential (and public money).

Author:

Hessel Juliust graduated from Bandung Institut of Technology and currently doctoral researcher at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Technical University of Munich. In his free time, he adores K-Pop and anime.