Strategic Planning and Risk Management Determine the Sustainability of the Free Nutritious Meal Program

Illustration by AI

FORMOSA NEWS

Mature operational management, including strategic planning and risk mitigation, proves to be a primary determinant in maintaining the long-term sustainability of public service units. A recent study conducted by Johan Arief Indrajaya from Universitas Negeri Jakarta in July 2026 examines the factors influencing operational performance and business sustainability in Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) under Indonesia's Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG). These findings provide a strategic foundation for national program governance to ensure consistent, efficient, and targeted execution.

The Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) was launched by the Government of Indonesia as a sustainable solution to address nutritional deficiencies among school-age children, targeting millions of beneficiaries across all provinces. However, large-scale programs of this nature frequently face governance challenges, weak inter-agency coordination, and multidimensional operational risks—ranging from financial, managerial, and compliance issues to food safety. Without proactive management, these constraints threaten to disrupt program implementation and erode public trust. Therefore, this study deeply measures the influence of strategic planning, operational risk management, and monitoring and evaluation on the operational performance and business sustainability of SPPG.

This study employed a quantitative design using a purposive sampling technique involving 100 SPPG heads from various regions across Indonesia as respondents. Data collection was conducted through an online questionnaire using a Likert scale and subsequently analyzed using Moderated Regression Analysis (MRA) to test both direct relationships and the moderating role of operational performance.

Data analysis results indicate several important findings as follows:

• Impact of Strategic Planning: Strategic planning proves to exert a positive and significant effect on SPPG business sustainability with a coefficient value of 0.316.
• Impact of Risk Management: Operational risk management records the strongest positive and significant effect among direct predictors on business sustainability, with a coefficient of 0.358.
• Impact of Monitoring and Evaluation: Monitoring and evaluation activities prove to have a positive and significant effect on business sustainability with a coefficient of 0.220.
• Role of Operational Performance: Operational performance exhibits the most dominant direct effect on business sustainability (coefficient of 0.606), but does not significantly moderate the relationship between the previous three predictor variables and sustainability.

The results of this research confirm that operational performance functions directly as a primary channel within the results chain, wherein stakeholders confer support based on verifiable operational outcomes. Consequently, strengthening quality standards, resource efficiency, and service accuracy must go hand in hand with enhancing planning quality and risk mitigation across every SPPG unit.

“Strategic planning, operational risk management, monitoring and evaluation, and operational performance each exert a positive and significant direct effect on the business sustainability of nutrition fulfillment service units,” stated Johan Arief Indrajaya in his study.

Author Profile:

• Johan Arief Indrajaya, M.M.: Master of Management Student, Faculty of Economics, Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia, focusing on strategic management and operational governance.

Research Source:

• Journal Article Title: The Influence of Strategic Planning, Operational Risk Management, and Monitoring and Evaluation on the Operational Performance and Business Sustainability of Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG)
• Journal Name: International Journal of Management Analytics (IJMA)
• Publication Year: 2026
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.59890/ijma.v4i3.26