Qodari: Free Nutritious Meal Programme Remains Best Investment for Golden Indonesia 2045
Jakarta, VIVA – The Head of the Government Communication Body, Muhammad Qodari, has confirmed that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme remains a national priority despite the leadership change at the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) from Nanik Sudaryati Deyang to Sudaryono.
“I would also like to affirm one thing. The change in leadership at BGN does not in any way shift, let alone diminish, the government’s core commitment. The MBG programme remains and will continue to be our best investment for achieving the great aspiration of Golden Indonesia 2045,” Qodari said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday, 28 July 2026.
He said the government respects the decision of the previous BGN head, Nanik S Deyang, to resign from her post on health grounds.
The government, he said, also expressed appreciation for her contribution to strengthening the governance of the MBG programme during her tenure.
“Under her leadership, BGN succeeded in accelerating improvements to the governance of the MBG programme through 11 reform steps. These included an evaluation of nearly 28,000 SPPG (Nutritious Food Service Units), the classification of 3,000 kitchens based on food quality and safety standards, and the ordering of kitchen expansion by prioritising the 3T regions (frontier, outermost and underdeveloped areas),” he said.
Qodari said President Prabowo Subianto has given a mandate to former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono as the new BGN head to continue strengthening the implementation of the MBG programme.
According to him, the leadership change reflects the President’s commitment to providing leadership capable of strengthening cross-sector collaboration whilst accelerating the resolution of various issues on the ground.
“This change is part of our collective effort to continually improve the MBG programme, which is one of the government’s priority programmes, so that BGN can become more agile, dependable, and always responsive to what is happening in society,” he said.
Under the new leadership, Qodari continued, the government will also focus on improving service quality, strengthening food safety standards, and accelerating follow-up on every report and finding from the public.
He added that the government is optimistic that improvements carried out in stages will make the implementation of the MBG programme more effective, better targeted, and of greater benefit to the public.
“By remaining open to evaluation and willing to improve ourselves, we are optimistic that this programme will run increasingly effectively, hit the right targets, and bring smiles to the nation’s next generation. Thank you for the support and prayers of all the Indonesian people. Let us monitor the implementation of this MBG programme together,” he concluded. (Ant)