Government Communications Body Assures Free Nutritious Meal Programme Remains Priority After Leadership Change

The Head of the Government Communications Body, Muhammad Qodari, has confirmed that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme remains a national priority despite the change in leadership at the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). Qodari stated that the transition from Nani Sudaryati Deyang to Sudaryono would not diminish the government’s commitment. “I also want to emphasise one thing. The change in leadership at BGN does not in any way shift, let alone reduce, the government’s main commitment. The MBG programme remains and will continue to be our best investment for realising the grand vision of a Golden Indonesia 2045,” Qodari said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday. He explained that the government respected the decision of the previous BGN head, Nanik S. Deyang, who resigned for health reasons. The government also expressed its appreciation for her contributions to strengthening the programme’s governance during her tenure. “Under her leadership, BGN successfully accelerated the improvement of MBG programme governance through 11 reform steps. These included evaluating nearly 28,000 Nutritional Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG), classifying 3,000 kitchens based on quality and food safety standards, and arranging kitchen expansion by prioritising underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions,” he said. Qodari noted that President Prabowo Subianto had mandated the new BGN head, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono, to continue strengthening the programme’s execution. He added that the leadership change reflected the President’s commitment to fostering cross-sector collaboration and accelerating the resolution of issues on the ground. “This change is part of our collective effort to continuously perfect the MBG programme, a government priority, so that BGN becomes more agile, reliable, and responsive to what is happening in the community,” he stated. Under the new leadership, Qodari said the government would focus on improving service quality, strengthening food safety standards, and accelerating follow-up actions on public reports and findings. He expressed optimism that gradual improvements would make the programme more effective, better targeted, and more beneficial for the public. “By remaining open to evaluation and willing to improve, we are optimistic this programme will run more effectively, hit the right targets, and bring smiles to the nation’s future generations. Thank you for the support and prayers from all Indonesians. Let us jointly oversee the implementation of this MBG programme,” he concluded.