Students in 3T Areas and Stunting-Prone Regions to Receive MBG for 6 Days

The National Nutrition Agency states that the free nutritious meal programme, or MBG, will continue to be distributed for six days in a week to students in frontier, outermost, and underdeveloped (3T) areas, as well as stunting-prone regions. This decision was made following a high-level coordination meeting or rakortas with President Prabowo Subianto held virtually on Saturday, 28 March 2026.

The Nutrition Agency notes that, in general, students who attend school five days a week will receive MBG according to school days. However, a special policy is applied to 3T areas and regions with high stunting prevalence.

“The provision of MBG on Saturdays for areas with high stunting risk is a strategic step to ensure children receive sufficient nutrition every day,” said Head of BGN Dadan Hindayana in Jakarta, quoted from a written statement on Sunday, 29 March 2026.

BGN also emphasises the need for meticulous data collection to determine the regions eligible for this special policy. The Nutrition Agency refers to the latest data from the 2024 Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) conducted by the Ministry of Health in establishing priority areas for nutrition interventions, especially in eastern Indonesia.

“Our team will collaborate with local Education and Health Offices to ensure accurate data, so that MBG is on target,” said Dadan.

The data collection includes the number of schools, number of students, and stunting prevalence in each region. Dadan claims that several provinces in Sumatra and eastern regions are examples of priority areas due to high stunting rates.

Dadan stressed that the accuracy and integrity of data are important because they are closely related to the health and future of the young generation. “We do not want any child to be left behind in nutritional fulfilment,” said Dadan.