Zulhas: Many Problems at National Nutrition Agency, Internal Reforms Underway

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan, also known as Zulhas, has admitted there are numerous problems within the National Nutrition Agency (BGN). He stated that the government is currently focusing on comprehensive internal reforms in the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme, including reorganising governance and auditing food provider kitchens.

“The problems at BGN are many. So now, internal matters are being addressed first, reviewed, while other activities are temporarily halted. The new ones are stopped first,” Zulhas told reporters at the House of Representatives (DPR) on Monday, 22 June 2026.

The chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN) emphasised that the main focus is on perfecting the system and strengthening oversight, including the kitchens that are a crucial part of the programme. “Focus on what is necessary, for example. Good schools that do not need it, do not need it,” he explained.

Zulhas also stressed the importance of auditing food provider kitchens to ensure consumption safety for children who are beneficiaries of the MBG programme. “Then the governance is also improved. The kitchens, those are also audited. Even though it concerns just one of our children, poisoning must not happen again,” he asserted.

He added that once the internal improvements and evaluation are completed, further discussions regarding the expansion of Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPG) points will be resumed in meetings. “Once this is fixed, further steps will be discussed later,” he concluded.

It is known that the National Nutrition Agency is currently formulating a clustering scheme for SPPG, or MBG kitchens. This scheme will later affect the incentives provided to each MBG kitchen. Deputy Head of BGN Agustina Arumsari explained that this clustering scheme is being prepared so that kitchen management is more suited to the conditions of each region, especially in underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost areas (3T). She noted that so far, all MBG kitchens have used relatively similar patterns, even though conditions and the number of beneficiaries in 3T regions differ from densely populated areas like Java.