Three Decades of School Meal Program Research: Bibliometric Insights for Governance and Sustainability of Indonesia’s Free Nutritional Meal Initiative (MBG)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36574/jpp.v10i1.745Keywords:
School Meal Programs, bibliometric mapping, Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG), governance and sustainabilityAbstract
Three decades of research on school meal programs are synthesized through a bibliometric approach to inform the governance and sustainability of Indonesia’s Free Nutritional Meal initiative (Makan Bergizi Gratis; MBG). By using Scopus-indexed publications (1994–2024) retrieved via Harzing’s Publish or Perish, organized in Mendeley, and analyzed with VOSviewer, the study examines 120 publications with 1,334 citations, indicating a moderately mature and policy-relevant evidence base. The findings reveal a clear thematic progression from early emphasis on participation and policy design, to health and nutritional outcomes, and more recently to sustainability, operational efficiency, and technology-enabled monitoring. These evolving research priorities highlight the need for an integrated governance framework in MBG that combines national standards on nutrition, food safety, and procurement with context- specific implementation strategies. However, effective translation into practice requires addressing structural constraints, including regional disparities in infrastructure, limited cold-chain systems, and institutional coordination challenges. Positioned as a human capital intervention, MBG has the potential to contribute significantly to multiple Sustainable Development Goals, provided it is supported by adaptive governance, digital monitoring systems, and evidence-based policy integration.
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