National Nutrition Agency to Refocus Free Nutritious Meal Recipients; Wealthy Schools Unlikely to Benefit

The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (Bally), Nanik S. Deyang, stated that the agency will undertake a refocusing of the beneficiaries of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme. As part of this refocusing, Nanik mentioned that wealthy schools will likely no longer receive MBG benefits.

“The purpose of this refocusing is to ask: is it necessary? It does not seem necessary if the schools are wealthy, as their nutritional access at home is likely already better,” Nanik told reporters at the Presidential Palace Complex, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, 9 June 2026.

Nanik explained that the BGN will focus on ensuring that the MBG is received by beneficiaries who truly require nutritional intervention. “We will direct it towards children or beneficiaries who genuinely need nutritional intervention,” she clarified.

“We will conduct this refocusing to determine whether the current target of 63 million people is accurate, or if the number can be reduced to allow us to add those who have not yet received the programme,” she added.

Furthermore, Nanik noted that the BGN will implement quality control at every MBG kitchen or Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) to ensure they meet established standards. “We have also informed the President that in 2026, our goal is not to chase quantity, but quality. Therefore, we will check whether the existing kitchens comply with the technical guidelines. We will implement a grading system—for example, determining whether a kitchen can serve 3,000, 2,000, or only 1,000 people. We will categorise them accordingly,” she concluded.