Free Nutritious Meal Policy Implementation Based on Local Community Empowerment for Improving Children's Nutritional Status in Bogor City

Abstract

The Free Nutritious Meal (Makan Bergizi Gratis/MBG) program follows a collaborative-governance paradigm involving government agencies, SPPG, schools, MSMEs, and parents, yet field implementation still faces gaps in coordination, operational capacity, food safety, and community participation in Bogor City. This study analyzes MBG implementation, identifies determinants of success, and formulates a community-empowerment-based implementation model. A qualitative single case-study design was applied; data were collected during 2025–2026 through semi-structured interviews with 29 purposively selected informants across five actor categories and documentary study, analyzed following Miles, Huberman, and Saldaña (2014). Findings show rapid expansion alongside instrumental community empowerment, operational gaps, and a recurring strong-in-crisis, weak-in-routine pattern, implying the need for a Three-Pillar Model comprising preventive-routine governance (institutionalized cross-OPD coordination and early reporting), quality assurance commensurate with the pace of expansion (aligning sanitation-hygiene certification and oversight with SPPG growth), and substantive community empowerment from the planning stage (formal participation channels for MSMEs and communities in standard-setting and decision-making).