THE FREE NUTRITIOUS MEAL PROGRAM (MBG) AS A NUTRITION POLICY AND MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE: A PUBLIC VALUE-BASED GOVERNANCE MODEL FOR SCHOOL FOOD SERVICES

Abstract

The Free Nutritious Meal Program, locally known as Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), is one of Indonesia’s national priority policies aimed at improving child nutrition, strengthening human capital, reducing family burdens, and stimulating local economic activity through food supply chains. However, the implementation of this large-scale program should not be understood merely as the provision of nutritious meals, but also as a public service management challenge. This article aims to formulate a public value-based governance model for school food services in the MBG program by emphasizing the integration of nutrition, food preparation, and management. This study employs a conceptual qualitative approach through a narrative literature review, policy document analysis, credible news synthesis, and public service management model analysis. The findings indicate that MBG has strategic value as a human capital investment, a driver of local economic activity, an instrument for absorbing local food products from farmers, livestock producers, fishers, cooperatives, and MSMEs, and a form of state presence in providing healthy food for school children. Nevertheless, food poisoning cases, kitchen capacity limitations, distribution delays, limited hygiene certification, and financial accountability challenges show that the success of MBG depends heavily on governance quality. This article proposes an integrative model based on seven pillars: nutrition–food preparation–management integration, collaborative service management, food safety and risk governance, financial accountability, sustainable local supply chains, local food absorption, and nutrition education supported by digital monitoring. The contribution of this article lies in interpreting MBG not merely as a nutrition program, but as a public service system that requires management capacity to ensure safe, standardized, timely, accountable, locally sourced, and socially impactful school meals.