305 Free Nutritious Meal Kitchens in Tangerang Halt Operations During School Holidays

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) in Tangerang Regency, Banten, has confirmed that all 305 Nutritional Service Units (SPPG) for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme have ceased operations during the school holiday period. The suspension, which runs from 22 June to 13 July 2026, follows Circular Letter No. 12 of 2026 issued by the Head of BGN regarding the adjustment of MBG operations during holidays.

Priyo Basuki, the BGN Regional Coordinator for Tangerang Regency, stated on Monday that the temporary halt is intended to support the restructuring and standardisation of SPPG management. “All 305 SPPGs have stopped operating. This is to improve the effectiveness, accountability, and efficiency of the MBG programme’s budget management,” he said.

The cessation of services impacts all 707,771 registered beneficiaries across the 29 sub-districts of Tangerang Regency. This includes school students as well as the ‘3B’ group, which consists of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers not enrolled in early childhood education (PAUD). Of the total recipients, 608,281 are students and 99,490 are non-students.

During the holiday period, SPPG operators will not receive operational incentives. Agustina Arumsari, speaking in Jakarta, confirmed that the policy applies uniformly, with no distribution of meals to any beneficiary group. She noted that this approach differs from previous holiday periods, such as Ramadan, when a bundling system was used to distribute meals. “We are taking this moment to reorganise and improve the management of the MBG programme so that its implementation will be more optimal in the future,” Agustina said.

The governance improvements will also be applied during other holiday periods, including odd and even semester breaks, national holidays, religious holidays, optional holidays set by local governments, and Saturdays and Sundays.