Already Ordered the Ingredients, 316 Tangerang Nutrition Units Redirect Free Meals to Residents

Three hundred and sixteen nutrition service units in Tangerang changed how they distribute Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals program after schools switched to remote learning because of the eruption of Mount Anak Krakatau.

The units had already ordered the ingredients, so meals originally intended for students were redirected to nearby residents, Islamic boarding school students and orphanage residents. SPPG coordinator Priyo Basuki said volunteers could also take meals home to share with relatives and neighbors.

The revised arrangement began on Sept. 7 and will remain in place until schools return to face-to-face learning. Distribution to other beneficiary groups, including older people, toddlers, nursing mothers and pregnant women, was also temporarily halted to reduce potential risks.

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Because we had already ordered the ingredients, they were redirected to nearby residents and orphanages, and SPPG volunteers could take them home to distribute to relatives and neighbors.

The meals come in two forms: ready-to-eat food and raw ingredients. Tangerang’s education department imposed remote learning from kindergarten through junior high school from Sept. 7 to Sept. 9 in public and private schools, after volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau spread across the area. The department also urged students, teachers and staff to wear masks while traveling and working outdoors.

The National Nutrition Agency temporarily stopped deliveries to schools in areas affected by the eruption because those schools had moved to remote learning. Its legal and public relations chief, Khairul Hidayati, said student safety and the safety of school communities guided the operational changes.

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Safety of students and all members of the school community is the main consideration in adjusting the operations of the Free Nutritious Meals program.