Government Considers Closing SPPG Kitchens as Free Nutritious Meal Programme Wastes Rp 1 Trillion Monthly

The government is opening the option to close a number of Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG) kitchens. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is currently planning a restructuring of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan revealed the number of SPPG kitchens has ballooned beyond the planned target, resulting in government waste of around Rp 1 trillion per month. “There has been trading of SPPG points. The initial plan was for 21,000 points, but now there are 27,877 points. So, there is a bloating of 6,877 points,” Zulhas said during a press conference at his office in Central Jakarta on Thursday (11/6/2026). The number of MBG kitchens far exceeding the target has made the programme’s spending budget increasingly wasteful. For example, providing an incentive of Rp 6 million per day for each MBG kitchen has caused waste of around Rp 1 trillion per month. “If there are 6,877 additions, at Rp 6 million a day, in one month there is an extra expenditure of Rp 1 trillion, waste. That means in one year, how much is that? Rp 12 trillion. This needs restructuring so it can be improved and resolved,” Zulhas added. Zulhas said the bloating of SPPG points also occurred in the 3T regions (least developed, frontier, and outermost). From an initial target of around 2,000 points, it has now ballooned to 8,617 points. According to him, it will take about one month to reorganise the implementation of the MBG programme. “In the 3T data, there were 2,000 points, but then it ballooned to 8,617 points, and 6,138 of those points already have decrees from the BGN,” Zulhas stated. Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the bloating of SPPG numbers will be resolved through a restructuring process. He acknowledged that the large number of operating MBG kitchens has made the programme’s implementation inefficient, especially regarding the Rp 6 million incentive for each SPPG. “Yes, one of the directions is certainly towards that (closing excess SPPGs), but we cannot say today whether they will be closed or not. It is being restructured, so we are looking at it, inventorying what the conditions are like,” Prasetyo said. However, the option of closing excess SPPGs will likely be avoided or minimised as much as possible. This is to ensure that during the restructuring period, the provision of MBG to beneficiaries is not halted. “Our initial target is that this must be completed within one month. But of course, there are dynamics. So, the first thing we emphasised is that what is already running must continue to run, there must be no disruption, and notes for improvement must continue to be implemented,” Prasetyo said. “What is already good must also be supervised so that quality can be maintained. We do not want any decline,” he added.