Government Prepares MBG Control Centre for May 2026

The government plans to inaugurate the control centre, or National Command Centre for the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG), in mid-May 2026. This was stated by Nani Hendiarti, Deputy for the Coordination of Food Affordability and Security at the Coordinating Ministry for Food. “So, the command centre for the (implementation of the MBG programme) nationwide will be at the Coordinating Ministry for Food. It is planned, inshallah, to be launched on 17 May, around that date,” said Nani, as quoted from Antara on Sunday, 27 April 2026. She explained that the operation of the command centre aims to increase synergy between the central government, regions, and various stakeholders involved. In addition, the Coordinating Ministry for Food is also striving to strengthen programme governance and improve the quality of services at Nutritious Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) through this command centre. “In 2026, we are focusing on quality improvement, so through governance improvements. We also see that meeting the intervention targets (of the MBG programme) must certainly be achieved,” said Nani. To improve service quality, she stated that thousands of SPPGs have been temporarily suspended until the managers can resolve emerging issues. These suspensions are mostly related to poisoning cases and unhygienic facilities. She conveyed that 1,789 SPPGs are currently receiving temporary operational suspension sanctions as of 24 April 2026. That number has decreased significantly after previously reaching 3,000 SPPGs. Nevertheless, she acknowledged that some SPPGs have problems that are difficult to resolve and require direct consultation with the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) as the main organiser of the MBG programme. “Whether a new location needs to be found or how, that needs to be discussed with BGN of course,” said Nani. In addition to improving SPPG service quality, strengthening governance, and expanding intervention targets, the government is also prioritising increasing the effectiveness of benefits and educating on healthy and nutritious food menu choices as the main policies of the MBG programme this year.