May 21, 2026 | 06:59 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) has issued an open letter addressed to National Nutrition Body (BGN) Head Dadan Hindayana and three other institutional leaders. The letter outlines feedback regarding the mass distribution of formula milk in the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program.The authors are members of IDAI’s Task Force for Breastfeeding and Nutritional Disorders. The document was uploaded to the association's official Instagram account, @idai_ig."Millions of Indonesian babies and children cannot speak for themselves; we, Indonesian pediatricians, speak for them," the accompanying caption stated on Thursday, May 21, 2026.According to IDAI, the policy of distributing formula milk on a mass scale within the MBG program risks discouraging mothers from breastfeeding. This is particularly concerning given that the initiative is being implemented without prior medical examinations or specific clinical indications.While acknowledging that modern formula milk represents the pinnacle of human innovation in infant nutrition, IDAI maintained that the health benefits of breast milk remain irreplaceable.This is because breast milk contains thousands of unique bioactive components that actively safeguard an infant's health. Infants and young children, the association emphasized, fundamentally still require breast milk.Thus, the pediatricians are urging policy refinements in how the MBG scheme is executed for infants and children. "Do not let today's policy cause [babies and children] to lose something so vital," IDAI asserted.The association clarified that its intervention is not merely an expression of concern over the National Nutrition Body's implementation of the distribution policy. Rather, IDAI pointed out that the nation's legal framework already strictly regulates how formula milk can be distributed to infants and children."Law Number 17 of 2023 and Government Regulation Number 28 of 2024 explicitly mandate that formula milk may only be administered upon a doctor’s recommendation and based on medical indications," the association stated.IDAI also highlighted a prior warning issued by the Ministry of Health to BGN regarding the mass distribution of formula milk. This was formally documented in Health Ministry Circular Letters numbered GM.01.02/B.III/52/2025 and GM 01.04/B/41/2025.To rectify the current rollout, IDAI compiled recommendations for the nutrition body to adopt. First, it urged the harmonization of public health policies between BGN and the Ministry of Health. Second, the group called for formula milk to be restricted to its original, intended purpose, distributed solely under medical supervision and clinical necessity.Furthermore, IDAI recommended that the BGN prioritize local food self-sufficiency to meet dietary goals. The association concluded by advising a thorough review and synchronization of technical guidelines governing national nutritional interventions to comply with regulations."We hope that every nutritional policy genuinely prioritizes children; the state must step in as a protector, not act as a conduit for industries looking to lower the nutritional standards of the nation's youth," IDAI declared.BGN Head Dadan Hindayana explained that the distribution of formula milk within the MBG program is strictly contingent upon recommendations from local midwives or community health centers. Should medical personnel withhold their approval, he assured that no formula milk would be distributed to infants or children.Dadan clarified that his institution's technical guidelines account for three specific tiers of formula milk. These categories consist of infant formula, follow-up formula, and growth formula.Follow-up and growth formulas, he continued, serve as targeted nutritional options for infants who genuinely require them. These supplemental options can be provisioned by regional nutrition service units (SPPG), provided they secure formal medical clearance for either of the two formula variants.Furthermore, he stressed that the BGN completely excludes standard infant formula from its MBG distribution pipeline. "This is because we want to prioritize breastfeeding; it seems [IDAI] has not thoroughly reviewed our existing technical guidelines and circulars," Dadan told Tempo when contacted on Thursday, May 21, 2026.Read: Prabowo Orders Rp67 Trillion Cut to MBG BudgetClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
