INDONESIA STUDENT LUNCH PROGRAM

Robust Indonesian Student against the World

Zidna Qoulan Tsaqila
Accounting Department
Padjadjaran University

A. Background
The nutrition issues could not be neglected from the country development. As the
malnutrition brings negative impact on human development, the good nutrition could
promote better human’s life. Especially for children, UNICEF stated that solid nutrition
could has an impact for life on their physical, mental, and social development.
Malnutrition weakens the immune system, making children susceptible to disease,
increasing severity of illness and impeding recovery1. Others, FAO and WHO stated
that malnutrition also could retard growth and development, reduce physical activity,
impair resistance to infection, increase morbidity and lead to disabilities and death 2.
Thus, WHO argues that poor nutrition is the single most important threat3.
Malnutrition is defined as not having enough energy or nutrients to live physically
active life that allows for optimal health. It encompasses both overnutrition and
undernutrition and has direct negative consequences in term of disease and disability,
brain development, educational attainment and income potential for individuals and
communities. Overall undernutrition represent the single largest killer of under-five
children, being responsible for 3.1 million child deaths each year (45% of total under
5 years’ deaths)4. In 2013, 52 million children under age 5 year (10% of the global
population) were wasted, meaning that due to acute malnourishment, they had low
weight for their height. Other 165 million children in the world, a quarter of the

1
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Funds, “What is the role of nutrition?” 2012,
accessed from UNICEF official website
2
Food and Agriculture Organization & World Health Organization, “Nutrition and Development – A
Global Assessment”, International Conference on Nutrition 1992
3
World Health Organization, “Turning the Tide of Malnutrition, Responding to the Challenge of the
21th Century”, available at at: http://www.who.int/mip2001/files/2232/NHDbrochure.pdf.
4
The Lancet’s Series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition, Executive Summary, available at :
http://www.thelancet.com/series/maternal-and-child-nutrition
world’s under-5 population, were too short for their age, or stunted, which can impact
the child’s physical and mental development.
Indonesia can count many milestones in its development trajectory. A lower rate of
mortality for children under five—from 85 out of 100 births in 1990, dropping to 31
in 2012—is one of these achievement. However, the facts that 8.4 million children
(37.2% of children under five) are stunted should be of greater concern given the
lifelong consequences. Between 2010 and 2013, the incidences of stunting increased
from 35.6% to 37.2%. Stunting is a sign of chronic malnutrition. And the most
damaging impact of malnutrition is on brain development. The statistics shows that:
1. Stunting reduces IQ score by 5-11 points
2. Children affected receive lower grades in school
3. Children with low birth weight are 2.6 times less likely to go on higher
education or graduate
4. Stunted children will earn at least 10 percent less in lifetime earnings
When children are stunted at an early age, they risk reduced productivity over time—
poor education results in jobs with low earnings. If followed by accelerated weight
gain when older, they risk suffering obesity and other diet related non-communicable
diseases. This is double burden of malnutrition.5
The effects of the double burden of malnutrition are not only felt by people. The
economy suffers too; losses due to stunting and malnutrition are estimated to be 2-
3% of Indonesia’s GDP. Non-communicable diseases account for around 60% of
deaths. The double burden of malnutrition will also hamper the potential gain from
Indonesia’s demographic transition, where the ratio of the non-working age to the
working age shrinks.
The problem faced by Indonesia should be solved carefully. The children are regarded
as the future of Indonesia Development, thus they must be treated well, as well as
keep them from malnutrition incidences. As the children develop healthy, the country
also could develop greatly. One solution to solve the problem is to introducing
“Indonesia Student Lunch Program” to every elementary school in Indonesia.

5
The World Bank, “The Double Burden of Malnutrition in Indonesia”, accessed from
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/04/23/the-double-burden-of-malnutrition-in-
indonesia
 B. Indonesia Student Lunch Program
The program proposed consist of the subsidized lunch program for every elementary
student in Indonesia. The main goal of this program is to provide a decent nutrition
for every student with low-cost or no-cost lunches. Elementary school students are
chosen for the main target because the earlier the malnutrition is solved, the earlier
the development could happen.

Figure 1 Scheme of Indonesia Student Lunch Program

The policy will require the establishment of the new institution under the Ministry of
Health, named “Indonesia Nutrition Association”. This institution will develop the
lunch standard based on the nutrition needed and the members will delegated for the
every participating school. Their jobs then controlling the lunch provided, whether it
has been appropriate, and become the nutrition consultant in the school.
Participating school could provide the lunch by them self or open an offer to private
catering industry. Any choice taken, the lunch should be controlled by the Indonesia
Nutrition Association.
Public and private school are able to participate to this program. Participating school
will receive cash subsidies for each reimbursable meal they serve. For the subsidies
given, the government will assess the school’s condition. The assessment involves the
assessment of the student economic ability, school condition, and environment
condition. For every poor school, they will be given more subsidies to execute the
lunch program, and for good school, they will be given lesser subsidies.
The program also will maintain the food waste problem. Globally, nearly one third of
food produced for human consumption is wasted, equaling a total of 1.3 billion tonnes
of food per year6. According Bappenas, Indonesia produces nearly 300 kg per capita,
with estimated food consumption at 110 kg per capita per year, and food waste
amounting 315 kg per capita per year7. As the children is a big part to participate to
the waste, the food waste from the lunch program should be maintained properly.
The food waste which is still worth eating must be collected by the student to the
“Residual Food Bank”. The food in Residual Food Bank then could be sell to the
neighboring society with a low price (or give it for free instead). Hopefully, this
through waste system, the program also could help the society.

C. Summary
The malnutrition problem among student is one of the big challenge of Indonesia. The
impact of the incidence varied not only to the human development but also to the
economy development. Otherwise, the nourished children could bolster the
development instead. Thereby, the act to demolish malnutrition should be
maintained carefully.
Indonesia Student Lunch Program is proposed in order to solve the evidences.
Providing nutritiously lunch with low-cost or no-cost to every children from the
elementary school could alter the condition. The program also consists of food waste
management system to maintain the residual food. We believe that the better quality
of the student, the better the economy will develop.

6
Gustavsson, J., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U., Van Otterdijk, R., Meybeck, A., 2011. Global Food Losses
and Food Waste. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Rom.
http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.pdf
7
The Jakarta Post, “Food for Thought, Food to Waste”, The Jakarta Post Online Newspaper, accessed
from https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/11/07/food-thought-food-waste.html
 Bibliography
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Funds, “What is the role of nutrition?”
2012, accessed from UNICEF official website
Food and Agriculture Organization & World Health Organization, “Nutrition and
Development – A Global Assessment”, International Conference on Nutrition 1992
World Health Organization, “Turning the Tide of Malnutrition, Responding to the Challenge
of the 21th Century”, available at at:
http://www.who.int/mip2001/files/2232/NHDbrochure.pdf.
The Lancet’s Series on Maternal and Child Undernutrition, Executive Summary, available at :
http://www.thelancet.com/series/maternal-and-child-nutrition
The World Bank, “The Double Burden of Malnutrition in Indonesia”, accessed from
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2015/04/23/the-double-burden-of-
malnutrition-in-indonesia
Gustavsson, J., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U., Van Otterdijk, R., Meybeck, A., 2011. Global
Food Losses and Food Waste. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations. Rom. http://www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.pdf
The Jakarta Post, “Food for Thought, Food to Waste”, The Jakarta Post Online Newspaper,
accessed from https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2013/11/07/food-thought-
food-waste.html