JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com – The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has recommended stricter product and handling standards for dairy milk served through the Free Meals (MBG) program.

BGN announced the recommendations after a coordination meeting on Tuesday, September 8.

The talks involved several ministries, the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), the Indonesian Quarantine Agency and representatives of the dairy industry and farmer cooperatives.

Under the meeting’s conclusions, SPPGs may provide dairy milk to women in pregnancy, breastfeeding mothers, children older than two and students at all school levels.

BGN recommended plain full-cream, pasteurized, ultra-high-temperature [sterilized milk]. Eligible products must contain at least 80 percent fresh milk and carry a valid BPOM distribution permit.

The products must not contain added sugar, preservatives, flavorings or coloring agents. BGN also requires SPPGs and suppliers to maintain a cold chain for pasteurized milk. They must maintain the cold chain from the production facility until recipients receive it.

BGN said MBG providers must not use products categorized as milk drinks, milk-containing beverages or milk-flavored drinks. The agency also prohibited sweetened condensed milk from MBG menus.

These product categories may contain different proportions of milk and other ingredients.

Their packaging can resemble conventional milk products, making the BPOM category and ingredient list important when kitchens evaluate supplies.

BGN head Sudaryono said the agency had established a unit price of Rp3,000 for a minimum volume of 125 milliliters. The price for a 200-milliliter serving delivered to an implementing kitchen is Rp4,500.

“BGN strictly prohibits milk drinks, beverages containing milk, milk-flavored drinks and sweetened condensed milk from MBG menus,” Sudaryono said during the meeting, according to a report citing BGN’s legal and public relations bureau.

The stated amounts refer to procurement prices for delivery to SPPGs. They are not government-controlled retail prices for milk sold to the public.

Sudaryono also stressed that milk should supplement the meal rather than replace another animal-protein serving.

SPPGs must therefore continue providing other protein sources in accordance with their menu and nutritional standards.

The recommendations could open up a bigger market for dairy farmers and cooperatives if MBG suppliers focus on local production of fresh milk. However, there is a major constraint in domestic supply.

Indonesia currently produces only about 20 percent of the milk it requires. Imports equivalent to powdered milk meet the remaining 80 percent, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

The ministry has been seeking investment in dairy farming and stronger partnerships between processors and small farmers to increase domestic production.

BGN had not published a new regulation or technical circular containing the complete recommendations when this article was prepared.

The agency must clarify their effective date, inspection mechanism and enforcement procedure. Only then can kitchens and suppliers apply the standards consistently nationwide.