DPR Agrees with BGN Plan to Cut Free Nutritious Meal Beneficiaries, Saving Trillions in Budget

Deputy Chairman of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Charles Honoris, has expressed agreement with the National Nutrition Agency’s (BGN) plan to reduce the number of beneficiaries of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. He argued that, referring to the programme’s original objectives, not all children need to receive MBG. “If we refer to the initial goal of this programme, which is to improve the condition of children, their nutritional status, including reducing stunting rates, it means not all children need to be fed,” Charles said, as quoted on Tuesday, 16 June 2026. The PDIP politician stated that MBG beneficiaries should be focused on pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children from families in deciles 1 to 3. According to Charles, cutting the number of MBG recipients could save the state budget (APBN) by trillions of rupiah. “By my calculation, no more than 25 million people. So, if the number of beneficiaries is only 25 million, or even let’s say 30 million, the budget might not reach Rp200 trillion,” he said. “Perhaps Rp100 trillion would be sufficient, and this would greatly save our state budget, and the beneficiaries would also be much more focused on those who truly need it,” Charles continued. Previously, BGN Deputy Head Agustina Arumsari explained that the agency is currently evaluating its management, including plans to cut MBG recipients. Regarding this matter, BGN has consulted with the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) and related institutions. “According to the Ministry of Health, nutritional intervention should ideally be carried out from the gestational age up to the first 1,000 days after birth, so that brain volume can be maximised,” Arum said, as quoted on Tuesday (16/6/2026). “Then up to the age of two, there will be nutritional intervention, and so on up to the next age. The form is nutritional fulfilment,” she continued. For this reason, BGN is evaluating the beneficiaries. According to Arum, senior high school (SMA) students are likely to be removed from the MBG recipient list, as well as junior high school (SMP) students attending expensive schools. “For example, SMA students may no longer need to be given MBG. Especially those SMA and SMP students whose pocket money alone is already Rp100,000 or Rp200,000, the high-class ones, they no longer need it,” Arum clarified.