BGN Reaffirms Commitment to Transparency and Public Engagement in Running the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG)
National Nutrition Agency (BGN) emphasises its commitment to openness, accountability, and transparency in managing the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG), to ensure the national strategic programme operates effectively and reaches the target groups. The commitment was conveyed by Deputy Head of BGN, Sony Sonjaya, when he met a rally organised by Jaringan Muda Indonesia (JMI) at the BGN office in Jakarta on Thursday, 21 May 2026. Sony personally listened to the aspirations and input of the participants.
‘We accept these aspirations openly,’ Sony stated in a formal statement in Jakarta on Friday, 22 May. ‘What matters to the public’s concerns will be followed up in accordance with the applicable mechanisms.’
Sony emphasised that as a newly established institution carrying a heavy mandate, BGN does not exhibit allergy to criticism. ‘On the contrary, criticism serves as an important instrument to strengthen governance and ensure democracy functions healthily.’
‘We are not allergic to criticism. Rather, it reminds us to continuously improve and ensure all processes follow the rules,’ he added.
Regarding the JMI’s aspirations about alleged procurement irregularities within BGN, Sony said the report would be referred to the relevant units, including the BGN Inspectorate General. Audit and verification processes will be conducted in accordance with applicable provisions.
BGN guarantees that all procurement of goods and services is carried out based on the principle of good governance with a multi-layered internal oversight system.
As an institution responsible for meeting public nutrition through the MBG programme, BGN is committed to maintaining integrity to maximise benefits for the Indonesian people. BGN also appreciates the orderly and constructive manner in which the aspirations were communicated as part of healthy communication between public institutions and society.
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BGN Head Dadan Hindayana reiterated that there is no intervention in providing infant formula within the MBG programme. Each SPPG must report daily menus via the portal so that it can be monitored directly by the public and local governments. He said the KPK, through its Monitoring Directorate, carried out a 2025 study on corruption prevention in MBG governance. This is in light of widespread cases of fraud involving MBG coordinate points being handled by police, as if MBG kitchen points were being sold by misusing the names of BGN officials.
The government has trimmed the MBG budget for 2026 to Rp268 trillion to improve efficiency. See the realisation and its impact on the national budget.
The Bekasi Regency government formed a district-level task force with priority on strengthening oversight of MBG to optimise field implementation. President Prabowo Subianto described MBG Indonesia as a world model because it serves 60 million beneficiaries. MBG is the foundational step to build Indonesia’s human resources through nutritional interventions.