Implementation of the Merah Putih Cooperative Policy in Supporting the Free Nutritious Food Programme for School Students

Authors

  • Raja Enkla Kurniadinta Putri Rahmina Universitas Maritim Raja Ali Haji
  • Rendyta Anggraini South Sumatra Provincial Government

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31629/jgbr.v3i1.8093

Keywords:

Policy Implementation, Merah Putih Cooperative, Free Nutritious Food Programme, Tanjungpinang City.

Abstract

This study aims to analyse the implementation of the Koperasi Merah Putih (KMP) policy as an actor in supporting the programme to provide free nutritious meals for school students in Tanjungpinang City. Koperasi Merah Putih, which was formed with a spirit of multi-stakeholder collaboration, is believed to play an important role in the food supply chain and logistics distribution, thereby ensuring the effectiveness and sustainability of the programme. Using a qualitative approach with case studies, this study focuses on the implementation model of (George C. Edwards III: 1980) Communication, Resources, Disposition, and Bureaucratic Structure.  Data was collected through in-depth interviews with the management of the Merah Putih Cooperative, school principals, and representatives from the Education Office and the Cooperative Office. The results show that the implementation of this policy faces major challenges in terms of resources, particularly the availability of working capital and efficient supply chain management capabilities, as well as land for the Merah Putih Cooperative office. Several areas of Tanjungpinang City face difficulties in land management and the cooperative's business activities. On the other hand, communication and the disposition of actors show high levels of support. Koperasi Merah Putih has succeeded in reducing logistics costs and improving the quality of raw materials, but the scalability of the programme still requires more integrated administrative and budgetary support from the Tanjungpinang City Government. This study recommends the need to strengthen the supporting bureaucratic structure and increase the capacity of Koperasi Merah Putih   through modern management training to achieve optimal public policy effectiveness in supporting the free nutritious meal programme.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adams, E. J., Stephenson, L. S., Latham, M. C., & Kinoti, S. N. (1994). Physical activity and growth of Kenyan school children with hookworm, Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides infections are improved after treatment with albendazole. Journal of Nutrition, 124(8), 1199–1206. https://doi.org/10.1093/JN/124.8.1199

Affonso, H., Fraser, J. A., Nepomuceno, Í., Torres, M., & Medeiros, M. (2025). Exploring food sovereignty among Amazonian peoples: Brazil’s national school feeding programme in Oriximiná, Pará state. The Journal of Peasant Studies, 52(1), 178–205. https://doi.org/10.1080/03066150.2024.2310149

Afridi, F. (2010). Child welfare programs and child nutrition: Evidence from a mandated school meal program in India. Journal of Development Economics, 92(2), 152–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JDEVECO.2009.02.002

Arifin, S. R., Tanziha, I., Ekayanti, I., & Ahmad, A. (2025). The impact of a free nutritious meal program on elementary school students’ concentration levels. AcTion: Aceh Nutrition Journal, 10(3), 790–800. https://doi.org/10.30867/ACTION.V10I3.2737

Beesley, A., & Ballard, R. (2013). Cookie cutter cooperatives in the KwaZulu-Natal school nutrition programme. Development Southern Africa, 30(2), 250–261. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2013.801195

Bowen, G. A. (2009). Document analysis as a qualitative research method. Qualitative Research Journal, 9(2), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027/FULL/XML

Coakley, K. E., Lin, L., Gonzales-Pacheco, D., Thompson, O. M., Eldredge, J. D., Jimenez, E. Y., & Prescott, M. P. (2026). Multi-Level Health Outcomes of Local Food Procurement in United States Farm-to-School Programs: a Systematic Review. Advances in Nutrition, 17(2), 100580. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ADVNUT.2025.100580

Contractor, F. J., & Lorange, P. (2002). Cooperative Strategies and Alliances. In F. Contractor & P. Lorange (Eds.), Cooperative strategies and alliances (22). Elsevier Science Ltd.

Dussauge, P., & Garrette, B. (1999). Cooperative Strategy: Competing Successfully Through Strategic Alliances. In Cooperative Strategy - Competing Successfully Through Strategic Alliances (6). John Wiley & Sons. https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Cooperative+Strategy%3A+Competing+Successfully+Through+Strategic+Alliances-p-9780471974925

Gaitán-Cremaschi, D., & Valbuena, D. (2024). Examining purchasing strategies in public food procurement: Integrating sustainability, nutrition, and health in Spanish school meals and social care centres. Food Policy, 129, 102742. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FOODPOL.2024.102742

Gelli, A., Donovan, J., Margolies, A., Aberman, N., Santacroce, M., Chirwa, E., Henson, S., & Hawkes, C. (2020). Value chains to improve diets: Diagnostics to support intervention design in Malawi. Global Food Security, 25, 100321. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GFS.2019.09.006

Hecht, A. A., Gosliner, W., Turner, L., Hecht, K., Hecht, C. E., Ritchie, L. D., Polacsek, M., & Cohen, J. F. W. (2024). School Meals for All: A Qualitative Study Exploring Lessons in Successful Advocacy and Policymaking in Maine and California. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 124(12), 1580–1589. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JAND.2024.04.018

Hiywotu, A. M. (2025). Advancing sustainable agriculture for goal 2: zero hunger - a comprehensive overview of practices, policies, and technologies. Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, 49(7), 1027–1055. https://doi.org/10.1080/21683565.2025.2451344

Krautscheid, L., Pugh, R., & Westerdahl, S. (2025). Public procurement and local food for sustainable governance: insights from Dalarna, Sweden. Planning Practice & Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/02697459.2025.2604813

Marnia, M., Agustini, L., Hardianti, D., Turnip, P. E., Waruwu, F., & Firda, A. D. (2024). PESTLE Analysis of the Free Nutritious Meal Program Policy in Indonesia. Journal Governance Bureaucratic Review, 1(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.31629/JGBR.V1I1.7156

Martinez, P., de Lourdes Saturnino Gomes, M., & Marini, F. S. (2023). Public policies strengthen the relationship between family farming and food security in Brazilian schools – A case study of Paraíba state. Heliyon, 9(10), e20482. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.HELIYON.2023.E20482

Melo da Silva, J., Eduardo Delgrossi, M., & Júlia Pantoja, M. (2023). Food quality perceptions and agreements: Case of local purchases from family farmers for school feeding program in the Federal District of Brazil. Journal of Rural Studies, 101, 103069. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JRURSTUD.2023.103069

Pandey, V., & Khanganba, E. K. (2025). School milk programs and child nutrition: leveraging local governments and markets. Food Policy, 135, 102917. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FOODPOL.2025.102917

Pastorino, S., Backlund, U., Bellanca, R., Hunter, D., Kaljonen, M., Singh, S., Vargas, M., & Bundy, D. (2025). Planet-friendly school meals: opportunities to improve children’s health and leverage change in food systems. The Lancet Planetary Health, 9(11), 101181. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(24)00302-4

Pinto, G. D., Cassânego, V. M., Zanon, L. G., Ferraz, D., & Rebelatto, D. A. do N. (2025). Strengthening short food supply chains: Prioritizing obstacles and opportunities with PROMETHEE, Fuzzy DEMATEL, and Fuzzy TOPSIS class. International Journal of Production Economics, 289, 109732. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJPE.2025.109732

Sandberg, S. G., Nyroos, M., Waling, M., & Olsson, C. (2026). “Somewhat forgotten”: understanding the role of school meal staff in building inclusive school meal communities. Food, Culture & Society. https://doi.org/10.1080/15528014.2025.2511502

Singh, S., Jordan, I., Hunter, D., Milani, P., Muthoni, P., & Borelli, T. (2026). Promoting climate-resilient agriculture and food security through school feeding. The Lancet Planetary Health, 10(2), 101414. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.LANPLH.2025.101414

Tate, J. A., & Happ, M. B. (2018). Qualitative Secondary Analysis: A Case Exemplar. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 32(3), 308–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedhc.2017.09.007

Tolesa, G. N., Aweke, C. S., Wordofa, M. G., Endris, G. S., Tefera, T. L., Hassen, J. Y., Lucatoni, D., & Mottet, A. (2025). Institutional and infrastructure setup for sustainable food supply for home-grown school feeding and productive-safetynet-program: Evidence from Ethiopia. Food and Humanity, 5, 100883. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.FOOHUM.2025.100883

Vidal, I., Fajó-Pascual, M., Gutiérrez, S., López, E., Vázquez, B., García, S., Esteban, A., Hernández, P., Diez, J., & Franco, M. (2023). Fostering healthy and sustainable nursery school food systems: the case study of Madrid City. Cities & Health, 7(6), 926–934. https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2023.2244680

Wang, J., Hernandez, M. A., & Deng, G. (2023). Large-scale school meal programs and student health: Evidence from rural China. China Economic Review, 79, 101974. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHIECO.2023.101974

Westerdahl, S., Pugh, R., Nordström Källström, H., & Krautscheid, L. (2025). Local food and sustainable regional development. Regional Studies, 59(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2025.2581127

Whitehouse, C., Conner, D., & Moen, A. (2025). Overcoming the “Game of Pennies:” Challenges and Opportunities for Farm to Institution in Vermont. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 20(5), 678–695. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2025.2468332

Wineman, A., Martinez, M., Jacquet, N., Rodrigues, E. L., & Mitchell, A. (2025). School Milk Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean. Current Developments in Nutrition, 9(2), 104541. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CDNUT.2024.104541

Yap, C., & Treuherz, S. (2025). Emerging processes of territorial food systems governance: lessons from a local food action plan in Sheffield, UK. Local Environment, 30(8), 1020–1035. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2025.2467865

Downloads

Published

2026-04-25

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Rahmina, R. E. K. P., & Anggraini, R. (2026). Implementation of the Merah Putih Cooperative Policy in Supporting the Free Nutritious Food Programme for School Students. Journal Governance Bureaucratic Review, 3(1), 29-45. https://doi.org/10.31629/jgbr.v3i1.8093