Celios Researcher Urges BGN to Cancel MBG Funding from Grants

A researcher from the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), Isnawati Hidayah, has urged BGN to abandon its plan. She stated that the scheme could potentially open up new avenues for corruption. “What BGN is doing is still sporadic and reactive, so additional funding like this is actually risky,” Isnawati told Tempo on Wednesday, 10 June 2026. She noted that non-state budget funding sources could actually reduce the burden on the state. However, the problem is that the governance of the MBG programme under BGN remains chaotic. A corruption scandal even struck former BGN Head Dadan Hidayana along with his two deputies, Sonny Sonjaya and Lodewyk Pusung. According to Isnawati, who is also a Food Policy and Health Expert at MBG Watch, the most urgent task for BGN is to evaluate the programme, particularly regarding the accuracy of targeting MBG recipients. She said this improvement measure is more critical than seeking new funding sources outside the state budget. If the programme is properly targeted, Isnawati stated, the government could save budget funds until the end of the year. If the Free Nutritious Meals programme were allocated only to regions and recipients in real need, the existing budget ceiling could be redirected to education and health spending. “Non-state budget funding could be an option for MBG financing, on the condition that the state money allocation is returned to its original priority spending,” she said. Previously, BGN Head Nanik S. Deyang mentioned the opportunity to fund MBG kitchens in frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged (3T) regions using alternative funding sources. She cited corporate social responsibility funds from state-owned enterprises, foreign grants, or large companies. Nanik conveyed this following her inauguration as BGN Head on Monday, 8 June 2026. According to Nanik, the opportunity for funding from outside the state budget is open for regions not yet developed by investors. She described the move as part of BGN’s efforts to reduce dependence on the state budget, especially for developing MBG kitchens in areas untouched by investors. On Thursday, 11 June 2026, Nanik visited the Presidential Palace in Jakarta to meet President Prabowo Subianto. She told reporters she would report on budget efficiency at the National Nutrition Agency. “Budget efficiency. Good news, let the budget come down,” Nanik said. However, she has yet to detail further information regarding the budget efficiency measures to be undertaken.