According to data from the Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) in 2022, the prevalence of wasting among children in Indonesia is 7.7% and stunting is 21.6%. Therefore, the provision of Additional Nutritious Meal (PMT) has become one of the strategies introduced by the Ministry of Health Republic Indonesia (Kemenkes RI) to address stunting. The PMT menu must also meet the standards set by Kemenkes, which include a four-star menu with components from carbohydrates, vegetables, animal protein, and plant-based protein.
The DASHAT (Healthy Kitchen to Overcome Stunting) team in West Sumbawa (KSB) has prepared a high-quality PMT menu for children with stunting, wasting, and underweight conditions, as well as for pregnant women with anemia and Chronic Energy Deficiency (KEK). The role of the DASHAT team is part of the Stunting Acceleration Program, a collaboration between PT Amman Mineral, the West Sumbawa Regency Government, and CARE Peduli Foundation in 16 villages.
Winartutik, Head of the National Food Security Program of The National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) in Mataram, stated that the PMT menu prepared by the DASHAT cadres is of high quality and contains complete components. According to her, the DASHAT cadres have implemented food safety measures in preparing PMT, in compliance with government standards. She hopes that these cadres can act as the extended arm of BPOM to socialize food safety to families and communities around their areas.
“Food and meals that are properly standardized and guaranteed for quality and safety from harmful contaminants, including bacteria, viruses, and foodborne diseases, will improve public health in general and specifically reduce the prevalence of stunting in Indonesia because pregnant women and toddlers will receive nutritious and safe food,” she said during a food safety training session for DASHAT cadres on Wednesday (30/10) in Jeraweh District.
The “Safe Food” training was attended by 48 DASHAT cadres from the Jeraweh, Maluk, and Sekongkang districts in West Sumbawa, with the aim of improving the quality of food and the cadres’ knowledge on presenting balanced, nutritious meals. In addition to providing PMT, the DASHAT team also serves as a nutrition consultancy, menu advisor, and community educator.
Istiqomah, a DASHAT cadre from Maluk Village who attended the “safe food” training, committed to improving the quality of the PMT prepared with her team. “As DASHAT cadres, we will evaluate how food is processed and purchased to ensure it aligns with food safety practices. We will then share this knowledge with the community,” said Istiqomah.
Furthermore, Istiqomah and the other DASHAT cadres are now more aware of methods for selecting quality food ingredients. With information from BPOM, DASHAT cadres learned how to choose food products by checking packaging, labels, distribution permits, and expiration dates, known as the “Cek KLIK” method.
“I now understand how to assess a product using the ‘Cek KLIK’ method. I check whether the product is officially registered, has a distribution permit, and if it is still within its expiration date,” said Istiqomah.
The provision of supplementary food has been carried out by Istiqomah and the other DASHAT cadres twice, over a 90-day period, as part of the stunting acceleration program in KSB. Muhammad Ikraman, Project Manager at CARE Peduli Foundation in West Sumbawa, shared that the DASHAT team’s interventions have had a positive impact. “In 2022, the team distributed PMT to 198 children with stunting and 28 pregnant women with Chronic Energy Deficiency (KEK) over 90 days. As a result, 30% of children with stunting who received PMT in 2022 showed improvements, and 80% of pregnant women recovered from KEK. In the second PMT distribution in 2024, results for 178 children with stunting, 47 children with wasting, and 17 children with underweight were also positive. 30% of children with stunting, 48% of children with wasting, and 78% of children with underweight showed significant improvements in height and weight,” said Ikraman.
Ikraman further mentioned that the DASHAT team will continue to improve the quality of the food produced, ensuring that it will be trusted to prepare nutritious PMT with better food safety standards in the future. “The DASHAT team will continue to enhance the quality of the food produced by selecting quality ingredients, storing food properly, and following correct food processing methods, so that in the future, they will be trusted to prepare nutritious PMT with better food safety standards,” concluded Ikraman.
Author: Kukuh A. Tohari
Editor: Swiny Adestika
