Delivering impact beyond the plate: service quality, information, and government trust in school feeding perception
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Abstract
School feeding programs are widely recognized as strategic interventions to improve child nutrition, support academic achievement, and reduce the economic burden on low-income families, making them a vital component of social policy in many countries, including Indonesia. The Free Nutritious Meal Program for elementary schools aims to address these goals, yet its success depends not only on technical delivery but also on how beneficiaries perceive its benefits. This study examined the perceived benefits of the program by analyzing the influence of food quality, meal distribution frequency, and program information, with trust in government as a mediating variable. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 133 parents of beneficiary students through structured questionnaires and analyzed with Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results indicate that food quality has the strongest direct effect on perceived benefits, followed by program information. Meal frequency showed no significant direct effect but contributed indirectly by strengthening trust in government, which emerged as a significant mediator. These findings highlight that improving technical service quality must be accompanied by strategies to build institutional trust. The study offers theoretical contributions by integrating public service management and trust perspectives, and practical implications for policymakers to enhance service quality, transparency, and communication strategies.
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How to Cite
Sugiharto, M. ., Rahma, R. A. ., Hadithya, R. and Rahmani, H. F. . (2025) “Delivering impact beyond the plate: service quality, information, and government trust in school feeding perception”, Jurnal Mantik, 9(2), pp. 616-626. doi: 10.35335/mantik.v8i6.6603.
References
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Taras, H. (2005). Nutrition and Student Performance at School. Journal of School Health, 75(6), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2005.00025.x
Taut, S. M., & Alkin, M. C. (2003). Program Staff Perceptions of Barriers to Evaluation Implementation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EVALUATION.
Van, V. T. S., Siguin, C. P., Lacsina, A. C., Yao, L. F., Sales, Z. G., Gordoncillo, N. P., Advincula-Lopez, L., Sescon, J. T., & Miro, E. D. P. (2022). A Community-Led Central Kitchen Model for School Feeding Programs in the Philippines: Learnings for Multisectoral Action for Health. Global Health: Science and Practice, 10(6), e2100391. https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00391
Wang, D., Shinde, S., Young, T., & Fawzi, W. W. (2021). Impacts of school feeding on educational and health outcomes of school-age children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Global Health, 11, 04051. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.11.04051
Wu, M., Gao, J., Hayat, N., Long, S., Yang, Q., & Al Mamun, A. (2024). Modelling the significance of food delivery service quality on customer satisfaction and reuse intention. PLOS ONE, 19(2), e0293914. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293914
Zuercher, M. D., Cohen, J. F. W., Ohri-Vachaspati, P., Hecht, C. A., Hecht, K., Polacsek, M., Olarte, D. A., Read, M., Patel, A. I., Schwartz, M. B., Chapman, L. E., Orta-Aleman, D., Ritchie, L. D., & Gosliner, W. (2024). Parent perceptions of school meals and how perceptions differ by race and ethnicity. Health Affairs Scholar, 2(1), qxad092. https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxad092
Blind, P. (2006). Building Trust in Government in the Twenty-First Century—Review of Literature.
Cohen, J. F. W., Hecht, A. A., McLoughlin, G. M., Turner, L., & Schwartz, M. B. (2021). Universal School Meals and Associations with Student Participation, Attendance, Academic Performance, Diet Quality, Food Security, and Body Mass Index: A Systematic Review. Nutrients, 13(3), 911. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030911
Ferrero, E. M., Wineman, A., & Mitchell, A. (2023). Changes in school feeding operations during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from 139 countries. Food Security, 15(6), 1521–1537. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-023-01393-1
Gallegos, D., Manson, A., Vidgen, H. A., Byrne, R., & Johnson, B. J. (2025). School-Provided Meals and the Prevention of Childhood Obesity: A Small part of a Very Important Story. Current Obesity Reports, 14(1), 44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-025-00635-x
Knack, S., & Zak, P. J. (2003). Building Trust: Public Policy, Interpersonal Trust, and Economic Development.
Kristjansson, B., Petticrew, M., MacDonald, B., Krasevec, J., Janzen, L., Greenhalgh, T., Wells, G. A., MacGowan, J., Farmer, A. P., Shea, B., Mayhew, A., Tugwell, P., & Welch, V. (2007). School feeding for improving the physical and psychosocial health of disadvantaged students. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD004676.pub2
Ma, Z., Ma, Y., Zou, W., & Fan, Z. (2025). Free school meals and educational outcomes: Evidence from China’s Nutrition Improvement Program. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1542861. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1542861
Mduma, N., & Kalegele, K. (2015). An Integrated Mobile Application for Enhancing Management of Nutrition Information in Arusha Tanzania. 13(7).
Meloni, G., & Swinnen, J. (2018). Trade and terroir. The political economy of the world’s first geographical indications. Food Policy, 81, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2018.10.003
Mestry, R., & Grobler, B. (2007). Collaboration and communication as effective strategies for parent involvement in public schools.
Mideksa, S., Getachew, T., Bogale, F., Woldie, E., Ararso, D., Samuel, A., Girma, M., Tessema, M., & Hadis, M. (2024). School feeding in Ethiopia: A scoping review. BMC Public Health, 24(1), 138. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-17613-4
Nosratabadi, S., Khazami, N., Abdallah, M. B., Lackner, Z., Band, S. S., Mosavi, A., & Mako, C. (2020). Social Capital Contributions to Food Security: A Comprehensive Literature Review.
Qiu, K., Omand, J. A., Elshaarawi, Y., Rasiah-Shaidev, S., Keown-Stoneman, C., Cohen-Silver, J., Maguire, Jonathon. L., & Freeman, S. J. (2025). School food programs and food insecurity at the REACH school network: An observational study. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 2060. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23163-8
Rimbawan, R., Nurdiani, R., Rachman, P. H., Kawamata, Y., & Nozawa, Y. (2023). School Lunch Programs and Nutritional Education Improve Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices and Reduce the Prevalence of Anemia: A Pre-Post Intervention Study in an Indonesian Islamic Boarding School.
Roothaert, R., Mpogole, H., Hunter, D., Ochieng, J., & Kejo, D. (2021). Policies, Multi-Stakeholder Approaches and Home-Grown School Feeding Programs for Improving Quality, Equity and Sustainability of School Meals in Northern Tanzania. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 5, 621608. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.621608
Sari, N. P. W. P., Mazenda, A., Katiyatiya, C. L. F., Nguyen, M.-H., & Vuong, Q.-H. (2025). Policy analysis in school meals program: Regulation impacts on in-school food fortification. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/19320248.2025.2505041
Smith, T. A., Lin, B.-H., & Guthrie, J. (2024). School Meal Nutrition Standards Reduce Disparities Across Income and Race/Ethnicity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 67(2), 249–257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2024.03.012
Spill, M. K., Trivedi, R., Thoerig, R. C., Balalian, A. A., Schwartz, M. B., Gundersen, C., Odoms-Young, A., Racine, E. F., Foster, M. J., Davis, J. S., & MacFarlane, A. J. (2024). Universal Free School Meals and School and Student Outcomes: A Systematic Review. JAMA Network Open, 7(8), e2424082. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.24082
St. Pierre, C., Sokalsky, A., & Sacheck, J. M. (2024). Participant Perspectives on the Impact of a School-Based, Experiential Food Education Program Across Childhood, Adolescence, and Young Adulthood. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 56(1), 4–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2023.10.012
Taras, H. (2005). Nutrition and Student Performance at School. Journal of School Health, 75(6), 199–213. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2005.00025.x
Taut, S. M., & Alkin, M. C. (2003). Program Staff Perceptions of Barriers to Evaluation Implementation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF EVALUATION.
Van, V. T. S., Siguin, C. P., Lacsina, A. C., Yao, L. F., Sales, Z. G., Gordoncillo, N. P., Advincula-Lopez, L., Sescon, J. T., & Miro, E. D. P. (2022). A Community-Led Central Kitchen Model for School Feeding Programs in the Philippines: Learnings for Multisectoral Action for Health. Global Health: Science and Practice, 10(6), e2100391. https://doi.org/10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00391
Wang, D., Shinde, S., Young, T., & Fawzi, W. W. (2021). Impacts of school feeding on educational and health outcomes of school-age children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Global Health, 11, 04051. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.11.04051
Wu, M., Gao, J., Hayat, N., Long, S., Yang, Q., & Al Mamun, A. (2024). Modelling the significance of food delivery service quality on customer satisfaction and reuse intention. PLOS ONE, 19(2), e0293914. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0293914
Zuercher, M. D., Cohen, J. F. W., Ohri-Vachaspati, P., Hecht, C. A., Hecht, K., Polacsek, M., Olarte, D. A., Read, M., Patel, A. I., Schwartz, M. B., Chapman, L. E., Orta-Aleman, D., Ritchie, L. D., & Gosliner, W. (2024). Parent perceptions of school meals and how perceptions differ by race and ethnicity. Health Affairs Scholar, 2(1), qxad092. https://doi.org/10.1093/haschl/qxad092
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