DPR Considers Forming Working Committee on Free Nutritious Meal Governance

Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR) is considering a proposal to form a working committee, or panja, concerning the governance of the free nutritious meal programme, known as MBG. The proposal was put forward by MBG Watch during a working meeting on Thursday, 16 July 2026.

Charles Honoris, Deputy Chair of Commission IX, said the formation of a working committee is expected to address various governance problems in the MBG programme. As such, the proposal will be discussed in an internal commission meeting. “This is very good input,” Charles said at the DPR, MPR, and DPD complex on Thursday, 16 July 2026.

He continued that one of the considerations underlying Commission IX’s support for forming the working committee concerns the number of beneficiaries, which is considered disproportionate to the size of the budget.

According to data presented by the Center of Economic and Law Studies (Celios), the number of MBG beneficiaries should be reduced from 82 million to 26 million in line with actual needs and the programme’s objectives.

According to Charles, if one refers to the original purpose of the MBG project—improving children’s nutrition and reducing stunting—then not all children should be categorised as beneficiaries.

“With the working committee in place, we hope there will be specific and comprehensive measures for how this programme can run going forward,” said the PDIP politician.

Meanwhile, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), the state institution responsible for running the MBG programme, is targeting beneficiaries to reach 82.9 million people in 2026.

As of June 2026, the number of beneficiaries of this flagship programme of the Prabowo Subianto administration has reached 62.9 million people.