Two Years into Prabowo’s Government, Bakom Says Free Nutritious Meals Programme Is Regularly Reviewed

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Syahganda Nainggolan, head of the Indonesian Government Communications Agency (Bakom), said the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme had been reviewed periodically during the two-year period of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.

The reviews have led to a number of improvements, including better food storage, stronger oversight and adjustments to operating procedures. The measures are intended to improve the programme’s quality while minimising food-safety risks.

“The President listens to feedback and then makes adjustments [through evaluation]. One issue is cleanliness. Refrigeration units are now used to store supplies. We must ensure that food, such as chicken, does not spoil and is then distributed after it has gone bad. The second issue is the CCTV system I mentioned earlier,” Syahganda said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Syahganda said changes to the investment compensation mechanism for Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) were another improvement. Compensation was previously provided under a fixed scheme, but it is now calculated per meal portion.

“Now it is per portion of food. The difference means that more can now go towards the food,” Syahganda said.

The MBG programme’s quality is also being improved through the use of standard operating procedures (SOPs) at SPPG units.

The SOPs are part of efforts to maintain food quality and safety, particularly when handling cooked meals, which requires proper control of temperature and timing.

The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is also developing technology-based monitoring. In October 2026, the agency began testing the integration of CCTV systems from around 70 SPPG units with a central monitoring centre, supported by artificial intelligence (AI).

BGN head Sudaryono said separately that the integrated monitoring system was intended to help check SPPG compliance with SOPs, from food preparation and cooking through to washing meal containers.

BGN monitoring also covers the hygiene of all staff throughout the food preparation process.