Ministry of Population Prioritises Free Nutritious Meals in Five Provinces with High Stunting Rates

The Ministry of Population and Family Development (Kemendukbangga)/BKKBN is prioritising the distribution of Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) targeting pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers (3B) in five provinces with high stunting rates.

Wahyuniati, Deputy for Community Mobilisation and Participation at Kemendukbanglar/BKKBN, stated during a discussion in Jakarta on Monday that these five provinces are West Java, Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra, and Banten.

“These high-stunting areas are located across five provinces spanning 141 regencies/cities, covering 30,676 villages or sub-districts. The total number of beneficiaries is 7,001,015, comprising 625,886 pregnant women, 1.61 million breastfeeding mothers, and 4.76 million toddlers,” she said.

Wahyuniati explained that the identification of these high-stunting areas was based on the results of a governance improvement meeting for the MBG Programme as of 3 August 2026. This serves as a manifestation of the government’s commitment to meeting nutritional needs and preventing stunting during the first 1,000 days of life, specifically from ages 0 to 2 years.

However, Wahyuniati noted that the provision of incentives to the Family Service Teams (TPK) at a rate of Rp1,000 per meal package has not yet been optimally distributed to cadres. Some Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) are reportedly providing incentives below the established regulations.

“There are still SPPGs providing incentives below the technical guidelines of Rp1,000 per target. Additionally, there are delays in incentive payments and a lack of a uniform mechanism for these disbursements,” she added.

According to data from the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) as of 18 August 2026, 10.8 million MBG beneficiaries from the 3B group have already received meals intended to enhance the nutritional quality of the nation’s children.