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Milk for some, substitutes for others in free meals program: Official
For regions where fresh milk is hard to come by, protein and calcium substitutes, such as eggs and moringa leaves, will replace milk to meet nutritional goals.
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Satisfying sip: A student drinks milk distributed as part of a free meals program trial on Aug.5, at an elementary school in Tangerang, Banten. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
T
he government will provide milk under President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals program only in areas near dairy farms, while other areas will turn to alternative sources to meet nutritional needs due to limited milk supply, according to the National Nutrition Agency.
In other regions, alternative sources of protein and calcium will be chosen instead of dairy products to meet nutritional goals.
"Milk will be distributed in dairy-producing areas. In places far from dairy farms or where logistics are challenging, it doesn’t need to be forced,” said National Nutrition Agency head Dadan Hindayana on Monday, as quoted by Kompas.com.
“For areas far from milk supplies or where logistics are difficult, there’s no need to force it. Eggs or moringa can be used as substitutes,” said Dadan.
A centerpiece of Prabowo’s election campaign, the free meals program aims to combat childhood stunting and malnutrition, as well as to produce quality human resources.
It is set to feed 82.9 million people, including schoolchildren, teachers, pregnant women and toddlers.
