Evaluating School Free Meals: An Appraisal Analysis of Parents’ Attitudes in Indonesia

This study investigates parents’ evaluative attitudes toward Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meal (Makanan Bergizi Gratis/MBG) program through the Attitude subsystem of Appraisal Theory. Drawing on Systemic Functional Linguistics, the study focuses on how parents construct evaluative meanings through Affect, Judgment, and Appreciation resources in their responses toward the program. The research employed a qualitative descriptive approach using open-ended questionnaire responses collected from 60 parents in North Sumatra and Aceh whose children received MBG meals at school. The data were manually coded and analyzed based on the Attitude subsystem proposed by J. R. Martin and Peter R. R. White. The findings reveal that Appreciation emerged as the most dominant attitudinal category, indicating that parents primarily evaluated the program based on its practical quality, nutritional value, implementation effectiveness, and meal composition. Positive evaluations reflected support for the program’s objectives in improving children’s nutrition and well-being, while negative evaluations highlighted concerns regarding food quality, hygiene, menu variation, and distribution consistency. Although Affect and Judgment appeared less frequently, these categories revealed important emotional responses and criticisms related to institutional responsibility, professionalism, and transparency. The study demonstrates that evaluative language provides important insights into public perceptions of welfare-oriented nutritional policies and reflects broader negotiations of trust, expectation, and accountability toward government programs in Indonesia.