JAKARTA - The potential use of “fish milk” as an ingredient in Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto’s free lunch programme has created a stir, with some questioning if the solution is truly healthy or simply hard to swallow.

In Indonesia, fish milk is made from locally produced fish protein processed into powder form and then turned into a liquid and flavoured to hide its “fishy” origins. 

Talk of using fish milk for the free lunch programme started in early September, when the president director of local food company ID Food, Mr Sis Apik Wijayanto, announced how studies were ongoing to explore alternatives to cow’s milk.

“There may be alternative products that can replace cow’s milk. Everything is under study. For example, milk from fish is also available,” he told reporters on Sept 4 in Jakarta.

It has been reported that state-owned ID Food will be involved in rolling out Mr Prabowo’s meal plan. The programme, which will officially start in January 2025, will cost 71 trillion rupiah (S$5.9 billion) and aims to provide lunch every day for all children in the country.

The Indonesian government played a key role in launching fish milk in 2023. It was developed as part of a government-backed effort led by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to downstream fishery products and capitalise on the archipelago’s abundant fish resources.

Local companies, such as Beri Protein, have been involved in the development and production of fish milk, working alongside state-owned enterprises like ID Food to promote and scale the product.

Information about its sales is not available, but fish milk is available for sale on e-commerce platforms in Indonesia. Fish protein hydrolysates, the base for the compound, have been used primarily as supplements or additives, rather than as direct milk substitutes. 

Concerns have been raised by critics of the lunch programme over whether or not Indonesia’s supply of cow milk can meet the demands of the plan.

Official data shows that domestic fresh milk production is able to supply only around 22.7 per cent of what the country needs; the rest has to be imported.

Demand for milk is on the rise, and local production cannot keep up – production decreased from 951,003 tonnes in 2018 to 837,223 tonnes in 2023.

Ms Khodijah A Zahir, a programme manager with Beri Protein, an Indonesian company that manufactures fish milk, said on Sept 12 that her company has met ID Food to discuss how production and development of the product can be grown.

The government has so far not made any announcements about the use of fish milk, but it has not been ruled out.

On Sept 10, responding to questions from the media, National Nutrition Agency head Dadan Hindayana said that while no official plans have been made to provide fish milk in the free lunch programme, it will “accommodate everything that is good”.

But critics of fish milk say it might not be the best alternative for children, given how it could contain high sugar levels and considering that there is insufficient scientific backing on its long-term health benefits.

A dietitian from Dr Cipto Mangunkusumo National Central Public Hospital in Jakarta, Ms Fitri Hudayan, told news site Antara that there is also the risk of such a product containing allergens.

It is also known to have a strong taste and aroma, with a runnier texture that might not appeal to many.

But its supporters have pointed out how the product can be an environmentally friendly alternative to cow’s milk, which generally requires more resources to produce and has a greater impact on the environment.

On its website, fish milk manufacturer Forayya said the product provides essential amino acids, as well as natural Omega-3 and Omega-6 to support brain development and enhance memory, concentration and cognitive intelligence.

Officials have also defended fish milk, saying it is a cost-effective food item whose development can be ramped up when necessary.

“Meanwhile, we have very large sea fish potential,” Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Teten Masduki told Kompas.com.

“Fish milk is produced from fish protein extract or hydrolysate, which is processed from cheap fish that are abundantly available.”

Separately, the allocation of public funds to pay influencers to promote the free lunch plan has left some netizens sour.

On Sept 11, the government announced that it will be setting aside 10 million rupiah to pay influencers to promote the meal plan, which already has trials under way in places like East Java and Central Java.

Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said Indonesia was trying to come up with ways to convince its citizens about the importance of the programme. Over 20 per cent of Indonesian children under the age of five experienced stunted growth in 2022, according to the United Nations. 

The government will be using as many channels or platforms as possible to do so, so that people “can know how important it is”, Mr Budi said.