Government Clarifies Free Nutrition Meals Programme is Not a Business Venture, but Public Property
Jakarta — The government has reaffirmed that the Free Nutrition Meals Programme (MBG) is a humanitarian initiative intended to improve the nutritional quality of the population, particularly Indonesian children. The programme is not intended as a business opportunity for parties involved in its implementation.
Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) in the Communications and Investigation Division, reminded all programme implementation partners to understand the primary objective of the MBG, which was designed from the outset as a social investment. She emphasised that the programme stems from President Prabowo Subianto’s concern for the community, especially vulnerable groups and low-income families.
Nanik stressed that the government will continue to evaluate all MBG implementing partners. She explained that cooperation contracts with partners are essentially limited to one year and may be extended based on performance evaluation results.
“They need to remember that their contracts last only one year and are renewable. This means we can end cooperation with them at any time. We will clarify again that MBG is not a business, but rather a humanitarian programme and a social investment,” Nanik stated.
Meanwhile, Heru Tjahjono, a member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, affirmed that the MBG programme is one of the government’s priority programmes aimed at ensuring Indonesian children receive adequate and balanced nutrition.
“The Free Nutrition Meals Programme is one of the government’s flagship programmes. It is designed to ensure that child beneficiaries receive adequate and balanced nutrition so they can grow into a healthy, intelligent, and productive generation,” Heru said.
He added that the involvement of various parties in the MBG ecosystem will strengthen the local economy whilst creating new employment opportunities for the community. He also called on the public to support and oversee the programme’s implementation to ensure it runs optimally.
“We hope the community will support and monitor the implementation of this programme so it runs smoothly. Through collaboration between the government, community, and local business actors, the MBG programme can become a strategic step in preparing Indonesia’s golden generation for the future,” he concluded.
The MBG programme is entirely aligned with the interests of the people. For this reason, all parties involved must maintain their commitment to ensure its implementation remains consistent with its original purpose as a social investment for the nation. This is because the MBG is not a business venture, but a humanitarian programme designed to improve nutrition and the future of Indonesia’s generation.