Komnas HAM: Implementation of Free Nutritious Meals Programme Violates Human Rights
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) has said that implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme violates human rights. The commission is urging improvements to the programme’s governance so that it can meet its objectives.
Komnas HAM identified four categories of human rights violations in the programme: violations of the rights to health and adequate food; violations of children’s rights and neglect of the principle of the best interests of the child; violations of the rights to freedom of opinion and expression and to security; and violations of the right to an effective remedy, alongside legal impunity.
“Komnas HAM has found that the problems in implementing the MBG programme are not merely governance issues and operational obstacles; human rights violations have occurred in its implementation,” Komnas HAM Commissioner Uli Parulian Sihombing said on Thursday (8 October 2026).
The commission reached its conclusion after discussions with ministries and agencies involved in the programme, observing its implementation in West Java, East Java and Yogyakarta, and seeking views from experts and civil society organisations. It has also directly inspected a number of sample Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG).
Komnas HAM criticised the National Nutrition Agency’s (BGN) centralisation and dominance of planning, implementation, the selection of SPPG locations and oversight of nutritional standards. It said this had left the programme’s governance insufficiently transparent and accountable.
The problem has been compounded by limited participation from local governments. Komnas HAM found that top-down instructions from the centre had left local administrations uncertain about the operations of regional acceleration task forces.
“Implementation of the MBG programme involves little participation and weak enforcement of sanctions,” Uli said.
The commission also raised concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression. It found cases in which parents and pupils were prohibited from posting meal menus on social media in order to avoid criticism.
“This undermines the rights to information and freedom of opinion,” Uli said.
Nevertheless, Komnas HAM said the programme reflected the state’s good-faith effort to fulfil the right to food for vulnerable groups, particularly children and women, and to address stunting. But that intention had not been matched by sound implementation.
“Centralised governance, a lack of transparency, inadequate worker protection, and disregard for food quality and safety create a risk of human rights violations, including recurring food-poisoning cases and indications of corruption,” Uli said.
Komnas HAM also said the programme’s large budget was not matched by effective distribution, particularly in areas with high stunting prevalence and large 3B populations. As a result, implementation had focused on meeting quantity targets while neglecting food quality and safety, remedies for victims, and legal action over food-poisoning incidents.
“Universal provision of nutritious meals risks missing its intended recipients, while employment protections for workers and volunteers remain inadequate,” Uli said.