Jakarta – Lecturer and nutrition expert at the Faculty of Public Health, Airlangga University (Unair), Mahmud Aditya Rifqi S Gz MSi PhD, highlights the cost of the free nutritious meal program. (MBG). What did he say?
For your information, the Indonesian government has set the MBG cost at IDR 10,000 per serving. This policy then sparked controversy in the community.
According to Mahmud, this policy must have gone through various considerations. Instead of blaming, this cost should be seen as a challenge. “This change will actually present a challenge, especially for nutritionists, to provide menus with good nutritional value at a limited cost,” he said, quoted from a release on the Unair website, Friday (20/12/2024).
Local Food Ingredients Can Be the Solution
To address this challenge, Mahmud suggested that the government use local food ingredients. According to him, local food ingredients are more affordable, yet their nutritional content is on par with conventional food ingredients.
Even though it’s free, MBG must be a complete meal with balanced nutrition. Therefore, attention is needed regarding portion distribution, nutrients, and composition.
“Generally, the most expensive component on a plate is protein. This can be addressed by using local food sources, such as protein from fish,” he explained.
Many local freshwater fish have the potential to be a source of protein that is on par with chicken and meat. Such as tilapia, gourami, and catfish.
“Tilapia, gourami, and catfish are good options with the abundance of these commodities in the community, making them affordable and easily obtainable,” he added.
Next, from plant-based ingredients, Mahmud suggests the use of legumes. For example, green beans and red beans along with their processed products.
Mahmud stated that Indonesia has now developed edamame beans and the use of local soybeans as the base for tempeh and tofu. Both beans have a good protein content.
Development of Local Food Ingredients is Still Minimal
The striking difference between conventional and local food ingredients indeed lies in their economic value. As a nutritionist, Mahmud actually pays attention to the treatment of ingredients during the processing stage.
Local food ingredients are basically easy to obtain. So, they do not need to be preserved and are safer for consumption.
“The longer the process, the more treatments and preservatives are needed. Meanwhile, local food available around us is still fresh and does not require much treatment and preservation, thus minimizing the use of preservatives and nutrient loss,” said Mahmud.
Unfortunately, in terms of development, the community is still unfamiliar with local food ingredients. For that reason, synergy between the government, the community, and academics is needed to increase the use of local food ingredients.
Considering this can also be used in free nutritious meal programs. But nutritious even though the budget is affordable.
Massive promotion is needed to reach various segments of society. From his perspective as an academic, Mahmud believes that there is a need for a process to convey research results to the public.
“The continuation of these papers, articles, and journals needs to be considered, not just as written works but also to be realized so they can become a product in society,” he concluded.
Free Nutritious Meal Costs Rp 10 Thousand Per Portion, Unair Nutritionist Gives This Advice
