Food Minister reminds MBG in 3T regions must still meet nutrition standards
Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan has reminded that the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme in frontier, outermost and least developed (3T) regions must continue to meet the established nutrition standards and must not reduce menus or nutritional content as stipulated by the programme.
“Please do not cut the menus. It is not allowed to reduce the provisions and not allowed to reduce the nutrition that is already standard in the MBG,” Zulkifli Hasan said in an official statement received in Kupang on Thursday.
The statement was made while inspecting the readiness of the Nutrition Service Fulfilment Unit (SPPG) activation in Sikka Regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Wednesday (19/8/2026), to ensure SPPG readiness in 3T regions, as well as to identify obstacles in the field in the context of structuring and refining the implementation of the MBG programme.
The MBG programme currently serves around 62.6 million beneficiaries, supported by 27,485 operational SPPG units and 134,881 local suppliers consisting of MSMEs, village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), cooperatives, Merah Putih Village/Sub-district Cooperatives (KDMP), and other suppliers.
The Coordinating Minister for Food emphasised that the acceleration of SPPG in 3T regions is a government decision covering priority areas, including NTT, Maluku, and all of Papua.
“It is indeed a decision from the meeting I chaired two weeks ago: 3T, all of NTT, all of Maluku, all of Papua. Papua has six provinces: Papua, Southwest Papua, West Papua, South Papua, Central Papua, and Highland Papua,” he said.
The government is restructuring 8,617 SPPG units in remote areas, including 1,703 SPPG units in 3T regions focused, among other things, on supporting the acceleration of stunting reduction. In NTT, there are 1,123 SPPG 3T applications, with 170 SPPG units validated as operationally ready.
The acceleration of SPPG 3T activation in NTT is a concern because, based on the 2024 Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI), stunting prevalence in NTT reached 37 percent.
A number of regencies in NTT, including South Central Timor, Southwest Sumba, and North Central Timor, are recorded as areas with high stunting prevalence. One of the operationally ready SPPG 3T units is SPPG Sikka Munerana in Sikka Regency, which is planned to serve fewer than 1,000 beneficiaries.
Through cross-ministerial/institutional coordination functions, the Coordinating Ministry for Food is pushing for the acceleration of SPPG 3T structuring and activation, especially in areas that require nutritional fulfilment support.
The direct inspection in Sikka is part of efforts to ensure operational readiness while encouraging the resolution of obstacles in the field, so that the implementation of MBG in 3T regions can run effectively and sustainably.