Jeffrey Sachs, an economist and advocate for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the United Nations Secretary General, believes that providing free nutritious meals is not only a form of investment but also an effective way for a country to improve the nutrition of its people.
This was stated by Sachs at a public seminar titled “Building a Sustainable Future Through Lifelong Learning and Skill Development” organized by Prakerja, United in Diversity Foundation (UID), and The Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) recently, as summarized on the prakerja.go.id website.
“This program is a very good idea and an effective nutrition improvement program carried out by the government. It starts from early childhood and collaborates with school meal programs,” Sachs said, as quoted on Monday (8/7).
While Sachs acknowledges that providing free nutritious meals is not cheap, he believes that if implemented properly, it can be a significant investment with far-reaching impact.
He then explained the various impacts and benefits that can be obtained through this program, especially for children, pregnant women, and the overall quality of education in Indonesia.
This program, Sachs said, provides children and pregnant women with regular access to nutritious food. This helps prevent stunting and malnutrition, which could affect both physical and mental development.
“Secondly, it supports the teaching and learning process and produces quality future workers,” he continued.
Furthermore, the implementation of this free lunch program supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 2, which is to address hunger and malnutrition.
“The Sustainable Development Goals serve as an appropriate framework for integrating government programs, including free nutritious meals. With 17 goals, the SDGs offer guidance for achieving a better and more sustainable future for everyone,” he concluded.
President-elect of Indonesia for the 2024-2029 period, Prabowo Subianto, has pledged to provide free nutritious meals to students in schools. Previously, the government and the Budget Committee of the Indonesian House of Representatives agreed to allocate a budget of Rp71 trillion in the 2025 State Budget for this program.
