Jakarta – Hasan Nasbi, a member of the Prabowo-Gibran Synchronization Task Force’s Communication Division, has clarified that the rumors about reducing the budget for nutritious free meals for school students to IDR 7,500 per child are unfounded and not an official statement from the team.
The initial rumor was spread by economist Heriyanto Irawan from Verdhana Sekuritas, who claimed to have discussed the nutritious free meals with Prabowo’s team.
“That statement was just an idea from the economist. It is not an official statement from the team,” Hasan told reporters on Friday (19/7).
Hasan emphasized that President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka are focused on providing meals that meet nutritional standards.
“The primary focus is nutritional adequacy, which is determined by nutrition experts,” he explained.
In terms of the cost per child, Hasan mentioned that the team is considering various ideas and suggestions from different parties, and no specific amount has been decided yet.
“All suggestions are being carefully reviewed by the Expert Council. As of now, no specific amount has been set because our priority is nutritional adequacy,” he stated.
Hasan also highlighted the diversity of nutritional sources in different regions of Indonesia, which leads to varying local menus in each area. The fulfillment of nutritional standards will be adapted based on the availability of food ingredients and local menus.
“In different regions, the types of menus will vary to meet nutritional standards according to the local food sources and menus. Prices will also vary accordingly,” he said.
Gibran also commented on the rumor of reducing the nutritious free meal budget to IDR 7,500 per child, urging caution in reporting on unverified information.
“Who said that? Let’s wait for confirmation first,” Gibran stated on Thursday (18/7).
He also mentioned that the ongoing trials for nutritious free meals are currently using a budget of IDR 15,000 per person.
“For now, the trials are using IDR 15,000. Let’s wait for confirmation,” he added.
