Parliament clarifies free nutritious meal program will not be halted

hartono · Sep 29, 2025

Chairperson of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives Hetifah Sjaifudian at the Office of Primary and Secondary Education Ministry, Jakarta, Monday (September 29, 2025). /ANTARA/Sean Filo Muhamad.

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Chairperson of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives Hetifah Sjaifudian stressed that the evaluation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program is not intended to suspend it.

She emphasized that the review is crucial to ensure the program runs more effectively and reaches its targets.

Hetifah underlined the need for a thorough evaluation, including the option of temporarily halting the operations of Nutrition Service Units (SPPG) if necessary.

Preventive measures, she said, are important to avoid a recurrence of food poisoning incidents that affected several students.

She also welcomed President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to hold a special meeting dedicated to reviewing the program.

The meeting involved Primary and Secondary Education Minister Abdul Muti and the Home Affairs Minister, with Parliament set to monitor the outcomes.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya noted that President Prabowo had given detailed technical instructions during the evaluation meeting held on Sunday evening, September 28.

The guidance was aimed at keeping the program on track and aligned with its objectives.

Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan added that the government is also assessing the performance of cooks in all SPPG units.

Discipline, food quality, and cooking skills have become key concerns to prevent similar incidents in the future.