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🇸🇬 Singapore /Health & Science

Indonesia: Pediatricians oppose formula milk in free meals program

From The Straits Times · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Indonesian pediatricians are urging the government to reconsider including formula milk in the free nutritious meal program, citing risks to breastfeeding.
  • The Indonesian Pediatric Society warns that unrestricted formula distribution could discourage breastfeeding, impacting infant health and contradicting health regulations.
  • Officials state the program offers "follow-on" and "growth" formula for infants over six months, not infant formula, and that breast milk is preferred for younger babies.

The Indonesian Pediatric Society (IDAI) has voiced strong concerns regarding the government's decision to include formula milk in its free nutritious meal program. Pediatricians argue that this policy could inadvertently undermine breastfeeding, a practice crucial for infant health, and potentially contravene existing health laws that restrict formula milk use to medical necessity.

Breast milk is not merely food. It contains hundreds to thousands of bioactive components that work to protect the baby.

— Indonesian Pediatric Society’s (IDAI) Breastfeeding Task ForceExplaining the importance of breast milk over formula.

IDAI emphasizes that breast milk provides essential bioactive components vital for a baby's development, components that formula cannot fully replicate. They point to national laws, including the 2023 Health Law and Government Regulation No. 28/2024, which mandate that formula milk should only be administered under medical guidance. The society is calling for a harmonization of nutrition policies between the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and the Health Ministry to ensure alignment with national and international health standards.

Our children need breast milk. We must not let our policies today deprive them of something so important.

— Indonesian Pediatric SocietyEmphasizing the critical need for breast milk for infants.

Responding to these concerns, the head of the BGN, Dadan Hindayana, clarified that the program provides "follow-on" and "growth" formula, intended for infants older than six months, rather than primary infant formula. He reiterated the agency's preference for breast milk for younger infants. However, the debate highlights a broader tension between public health initiatives and the implementation of welfare programs, with health experts like those at the Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) also raising alarms about the potential for high sugar content in formula milk and the risk of creating nutritional problems if not carefully managed.

The follow-up and growth formulas are available to infants (recipients of free meals programme) should they be needed.

— Dadan HindayanaClarifying the type of formula milk offered in the free meals program.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Straits Times in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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