Myesha Fatina Rachman, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto aims for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program to reach 20 million beneficiaries by August 2025, up from the current figure of 8.4 million.
Tigor Pangaribuan, Deputy of System and Governance at the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), said they are working to meet this month's target by building more kitchens.
The goal to reach 20 million beneficiaries by the end of August was announced by the President during his speech at the Indonesian Solidarity Party Congress in Solo, Central Java, on Sunday, 20 July 2025.
"Who knows, we might even exceed 25 million in August," said Prabowo.
Tigor Pangaribuan also reiterated that efforts are underway to achieve this month's target through kitchen construction.
Currently, there are about 4,100 kitchens or Food Supply Service Units (SPPG), and more SPPG units are required to meet the goal of 20 million beneficiaries.
There are currently around 4,100 kitchens, and BGN plans to raise this to 7,000 kitchens this month. The target for the end of 2025 is 30,000 kitchens across Indonesia. Infrastructure, funding, and human resources are key factors for accelerating this growth. Development funds totaling Rp 71 trillion from the state treasury have been allocated.
However, Prabowo's priority program faces serious challenges, ranging from mass poisoning incidents to controversies over management and import policies for meal equipment.
Recurring MBG poisoning cases in various regions
Since the program's launch on 6 January 2025, thousands of students in various regions have experienced poisoning symptoms after eating MBG meals. The latest case affected 140 students at SMPN 8 Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, on 22 July 2025.
They suffered diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting after consuming rendang, long bean carrot vegetable, tofu, and bananas.
Similar poisoning incidents also occurred in East Sumba (February), Bombana (April), Cianjur (April), Bogor (May), and Sukoharjo (January). BGN's evaluation identified causes such as inexperienced kitchen managers, poor hygiene, and weak supervision of distribution.Nutrition expert Tan Shot Yen believes these incidents could have been avoided if food safety principles, such as HACCP, were strictly implemented from ingredient selection to serving. He also criticized the lack of sufficient technical training before the program began.
Polemics of meal equipment imports
The government has also faced criticism for easing imports of food trays (ompreng) used in the MBG program. This policy has triggered protests from the Indonesian Food Tray Producers Association (Apmaki), which claims local producers risk going out of business.
Apmaki's Secretary General, Alie Cendrawan, said many MBG ompreng producers face closure due to the influx of imported products. "This endangers us. We have invested billions in our factories," he said during a press conference in South Jakarta, on Thursday, 31 July 2025.
Apmaki noted that imported trays from China not only harm domestic industry but also raise safety concerns. These products reportedly use stainless steel SUS 201, which is prone to rust, instead of the food-safe SUS 304. There are also worries about contamination risks that could harm children's health.
Management and partner kitchen payment issues
Besides food safety problems, the MBG program also experiences conflicts between kitchen partners and BGN-affiliated foundations. A case in Kalibata, South Jakarta, emerged when Ira Mesra's kitchen stopped operating due to nearly Rp 1 billion in unpaid dues by a partner foundation.
Indonesia Corruption Watch researcher Dewi Anggraeni said this partnership model creates risks of distribution chaos and budget mismanagement. She called for clear central coordination from BGN to prevent overlapping authority and payment problems.
Decrease in meal package prices and quality
Initially, the MBG program promised a meal package worth Rp15,000 including milk, but the package price later dropped to Rp10,000. This reduction is believed to affect meal quality. Some schools reported smaller portions and the removal of milk from the package.
Fiscal Justice Director Celios, Media Wahyu Askar, said this shows the program was poorly prepared. He urged a thorough evaluation, including governance audits and involvement of civil society in supervision.
– Ilona Estherina, Annisa Febiola, Adil Al Hasan, Michelle Gabriela, Dinda Shabrina, Dede Leni Mardianti, and Adhfar Aulia Syuhada also contributed to the writing of this article.