Jakarta (ANTARA) - Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq urged all Nutritional Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs) to integrate waste management in providing food for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.
"We must handle two main things: solid waste and domestic waste. The potential waste from serving thousands of people per day is very large, so management must be carried out properly," he said during a visit to an SPPG in Denpasar, Bali, on Saturday.
On that occasion, he stressed the importance of creating synergy between nutritional fulfillment and environmental protection.
The SPPG he visited, established by the Bali Regional Police, currently serves 3,577 food packages per day for beneficiaries at various locations, including integrated health posts (posyandu) and schools.
Under the Kemala Bhayangkari Foundation, the SPPG has adopted environmentally friendly measures such as using reusable containers, limiting single-use plastics, and reducing food waste.
He emphasized that waste management must become a key standard for all SPPGs.
The minister also underscored the importance of preserving the environment of Bali, as the province serves as Indonesia's face to the world.
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"Land conversion needs to stop. We must protect Bali maximally. Nutritional intervention programs like MBG will become stronger if coupled with environmental protection and circular economy practices," Nurofiq said.
He added that the MBG program not only improves public health and nutrition but also offers solutions in waste management, strengthens the local economy, and supports environmental preservation.
The MBG program was launched on January 6, 2025, as one of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's flagship initiatives for the 2024-2029 term.
The government aims to improve the nutritional status of children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to high school.
President Prabowo has also reaffirmed his commitment to continue the MBG program with an allocated budget of Rp335 trillion (US$20.4 billion) in the 2026 draft state budget.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Raka Adji