Government Targets Completion of MBG Programme Restructuring Within One Month

The government has reaffirmed its commitment to conducting a thorough restructuring of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme within the next month. This step is being taken as an effort to improve programme governance and enhance the quality of implementation across various regions.

The Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, stated that the refinement process requires time to ensure all aspects of the programme can be evaluated and reorganised optimally. “A restructuring period is necessary. One month of restructuring,” said Zulhas, the common nickname for Zulkifli Hasan, during an event for Improving the Quality of MBG Services and Remote SPPG in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to Zulhas, the restructuring includes repairing several Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) points that were previously reported to be subject to illegal trading. Additionally, the government will re-map schools receiving MBG benefits, raise the quality standards of food provider kitchens, and verify reports regarding programme beneficiaries.

“A comprehensive restructuring is needed by the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and the new management to fix this very important programme,” said Zulhas.

This restructuring step is a government response to various issues that have emerged during the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Programme. These obstacles, according to Zulhas, have received direct attention from President Prabowo Subianto. “At one point, the President listened and has made the decision to replace it with new management,” added Zulhas.

Meanwhile, the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Nanik S. Deyang, explained that her agency is implementing several budget efficiency strategies to ensure the programme continues to run effectively without placing an excessive burden on state finances. Nevertheless, the target of meeting nutritional needs for beneficiaries remains maintained.

One policy being implemented is a moratorium, or temporary halt, on the opening of new service points and kitchens. Currently, there are 27,877 operational kitchen points recorded based on virtual accounts, which will be re-evaluated to adjust service capacity with the number of beneficiaries in each region.

BGN is also temporarily suspending the registration process for new kitchens while conducting more accurate needs mapping in various regions. This policy was taken because the distribution of MBG provider kitchens is still heavily concentrated on Java.

In addition to restructuring service infrastructure, BGN will perform a refocusing or sharpening of beneficiary targets so that nutritional interventions are more precisely directed to the community groups that truly need them. Currently, the number of programme beneficiaries is recorded at approximately 63 million people and is still in the evaluation stage.

On the other hand, strengthening the supervision of service quality is also a top priority. In 2026, the focus of the MBG Programme implementation will not only be on chasing the number of beneficiaries but also on ensuring that the quality of service provided meets the required standards.

Evaluations will be conducted periodically to ensure every operational kitchen has met the applicable technical guidelines and possesses adequate service capacity.

Nanik emphasised that the Free Nutritious Meal Programme is a mandate that must be carried out to the maximum. In addition to aiming to improve the nutritional quality of Indonesian children, the programme is also expected to drive economic growth for communities at the grassroots level through various economic activities created around it.