TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), Bhima Yudhistira, criticized the proposed plan by the Financial Services Authority (OJK) regarding the implementation of insurance in the Free Nutritious Meal program (MBG). He argued that the concept was inappropriate and could potentially lead to the commercialization of social aid.

"MBG is a social aid program, so the state should be held responsible. If there is insurance involved, it means shifting the blame to the insurance company. Conceptually, this is already wrong; it is a way of evading responsibility," said Bhima when contacted on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

According to Bhima, the primary focus of the MBG program should be on supervision and standardization. He emphasized the importance of ensuring that the food provided meets nutritional standards, is free from corruption, and does not pose health risks to the beneficiaries.

He questioned the role of the OJK in developing insurance, which he deemed irrelevant to the financial services industry. "I do not understand why OJK is developing such bizarre insurance. If there is a case of food poisoning, there should be criminal sanctions, not insurance claims," he said.

In addition, he believes that the insurance funding scheme, taken from the per-child budget in the MBG program, will actually reduce the quality of the food provided to students. He also warned that the implementation of this insurance could create new opportunities for corruption among catering service providers and public kitchens.

"The profit margin is already thin, and yet they are being asked to pay for insurance. As a result, the food prices are pushed down, but reported with different prices. This could be fatal," he said.

As an alternative, Celios recommended strengthening oversight of MBG partner providers, implementing standard operating procedures for food hygiene and safety, and imposing strict sanctions on violators.

As of now, the plan to implement insurance in the MBG program is still a proposal and has not been confirmed for implementation. However, this discourse has sparked criticism from Celios as it is considered to potentially cause more problems than solutions.

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