In various parts of the world, the provision of free meals has become one of the government’s efforts to improve the welfare of its citizens. Finland is one of the pioneers of free food policy, especially in schools. This policy not only aims to address hunger, but also to support children’s education and well-being. In fact, it can be said that free school meals symbolize the Finnish welfare state. The program began after the Second World War as part of the rebuilding process by providing soup and porridge from grains donated by local farmers. Year after year, the program has been evaluated and innovated by the local government, offering a shift to localized food options designed by nutritionists, including Nordic-style meatballs, baked macaroni, or spinach pancakes.
Recently, Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka piloted the free nutritious food program in a number of places, including Sentul, Surakarta, and Surabaya. Together with Khofifah Indar Parawansa, Emil Dardak, and Eri Cahyadi, Gibran ran a free meal program trial at SDN Klampis Ngasem 3 in Surabaya, East Java. Curation of the food menu has also been carried out by the school in anticipation of a child’s allergic response to a food ingredient that will be processed. The food box with a budget of Rp15,000 was then distributed to local students with a composition of sweet sauce chicken, vegetables, melon, rice, and milk. This
budget is obtained from the CSR fund of PT Gojek Tokopedia (GoTo) which collaborates with Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) so as to optimize the multiplier effect in each process.
Compared to the two previous free food program trial locations, Gibran admitted that the Surabaya area is an area that has implemented Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) well, namely the innovation of food wrappers. The plastic wrap will be reprocessed through a waste bank. These efforts are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, especially number 12, namely Responsible Consumption and Production which focuses on promoting environmentally friendly production practices, waste reduction, resource efficiency so as to create and ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns. It is the hope of the Indonesian people that the free meal program can run smoothly as it should, of course by paying attention and cooperating with all sectors of life, from health, economy, environment to politics. Finnish politician Saramo said that political decision-making plays an important role in resources, which then has a major influence on food management. “Balancing all necessary criteria – nutrition, taste, effectiveness, versatility, and sustainability – on a single tray of food every school day is a challenge, and it’s important that local politicians steer adequate resources towards school meals”.
Author: Adhia Raidah Kusdiyanti NIM : 192231017