Gov't to overhaul free nutritious meals program within one month

hartono · Jun 11, 2026

Gov't to overhaul free nutritious meals program within one month

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan (left) and Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Muhaimin Iskandar (right) attend a meeting on improving the quality of Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) and Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs) in remote regions, in Jakarta, on Thursday (June 11, 2026). (ANTARA/Putu Indah Savitri)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan stated his commitment to overhauling the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program within one month.

"One month. One month for restructuring," Hasan said during an event on improving the quality of MBG services and Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs) in remote areas, held at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs office here on Thursday.

Within the one-month period, Hasan said his side is committed to reorganizing and addressing issues related to SPPGs that had been traded, mapping schools receiving MBG assistance, improving kitchen quality, and verifying reports on MBG beneficiaries.

The MBG program restructuring is the government's response to various issues that have arisen during its implementation.

According to Hasan, those issues have drawn the attention of President Prabowo Subianto.

"At one point, the President eventually heard about them and decided to replace the management with a new one," he said.

Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Nanik S. Deyang said the agency has been implementing several budget-efficiency measures to ensure that the program does not burden state finances while maintaining its nutritional targets for beneficiaries.

The first measure is a moratorium on the establishment of new service points and kitchens. To date, there are 27,877 operational kitchens registered through virtual accounts, which will be reorganized to assess whether their service capacities match the number of beneficiaries in each area.

The BGN has also temporarily suspended registrations for new kitchens while mapping needs across regions. The restructuring is being carried out because the distribution of kitchens remains concentrated on Java Island.

The next step is to refocus beneficiaries so that nutritional interventions are directed toward groups that genuinely need them. Moreover, an evaluation is also being conducted on the number of beneficiaries, which currently stands at around 63 million people.