Jakarta. The government is currently finalizing a presidential regulation on the free meal program, according to State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, as Indonesia tries to prevent more kids from getting food poisoning.

News of children falling ill after consuming government-aided lunches has painted a grim picture of the budget-heavy program. At least 6,457 people, mainly schoolchildren, had suffered food poisoning since the program began in January. As Indonesia presses ahead with the school-feeding program, the government is now working on some regulations aimed at improving its implementation. While the presidential regulation remains a work in progress, Prasetyo said that the trays of cooked meals would continue to make their way to classes.

“The presidential regulation must be completed this week. But just because this document is not out yet, it’s not like the program isn’t running, right? In fact, it is already running. The regulation aims to refine and improve its implementation as much as possible,” Prasetyo told reporters in Jakarta on Sunday.

He also stated that the government took into account input from other institutions, professionals, and the community when drafting the regulation.

“We want this program to make sure that everything goes well. It may not be accurate to call it perfect. But we are doing our best to anticipate any loopholes or undesirable outcomes,” Prasetyo said.

As improvements go underway, Indonesia has no plan to put the brakes on the rollout. Prasetyo added, “No, it doesn’t mean we have to entirely stop it. It’s just that we need to fix the shortcomings. Data shows that almost all problems arise from not following the procedures properly.”

The presidential regulation is expected to define the roles of government agencies and relevant ministries for better coordination. It will task sub-national governments to prepare the necessary infrastructure and help guide local farmers, according to Dadan Hindayana, the chief of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). The Agricultural Ministry will be responsible for ramping up food production as Indonesia wants to feed 82.9 million students, expectant mothers, and toddlers. 

“As for us, BGN, we will be in charge of the implementation. Monitoring the nutritional intake will be the Health Ministry’s responsibility,” Dadan said on Friday.

The annual budget for this program reaches Rp 71 trillion (approximately $4.3 billion) for this year alone.

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