Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Indonesian Deputy Minister of Health Benyamin Paulus Oktavianus responded to the influence of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program on the reduction of stunting rates. Benyamin said that the nutritious meal program is indeed related to the issue of stunting.
However, he mentioned that the Ministry of Health has not been able to provide a definite answer regarding the impact of MBG on stunting. Benyamin explained that the Ministry has not surveyed to measure changes in stunting rates since implementing the MBG program.
"If asked about the current numbers, we can't provide them yet. Because it needs to be meticulously executed, this is a medical matter," he said during the 1st Anniversary Conference of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program and the Inaugural Operation of the MBG Program in 2026.
He explained that the government's current focus is first on ensuring the successful implementation of providing nutritious meals to children. Only after that can they periodically measure whether the provision of MBG can increase children's weight and so on. "This is very technical, this is a medical matter," he said.
Benyamin assured us that the results of the survey determining the impact of the MBG on stunting will be presented soon. "Because it would be a waste if our substantial budget is not successful and not utilized to address stunting," he said.
Previously, Betta Anugrah, a researcher from the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency (FITRA), reminded the government to promptly evaluate the prevalence of stunting. The decrease in stunting from 2023 to 2024 was not significant, dropping from 21.5 percent to 19.8 percent.
"The prevalence of stunting in 2024 is still below the national target for 2025. The decrease is not significant, only a decline of 1.7 percent from the achievement in 2023," she said when contacted on Thursday, December 25, 2025.
Betta is concerned that the target reduction in the prevalence of stunting is not significant despite the presence of a new nutritional program named MBG. She attributed this to the potential overlap of nutrition programs. According to her, there are too many institutions dealing with nutrition, leading to a lack of clear leadership and integration, and easy coordination turns into silent competition among institutions.
According to Betta, stunting rates alone can vary depending on the source. The data of program recipients are also scattered across various systems: health, education, and social assistance. "Without serious efforts to build an integrated beneficiary nutrition database, the risk of double-counting and misallocation is significant," Betta said.
Betta emphasized that Indonesia's current issue is not just about how much money the state spends on nutrition, but how precisely the state knows who really needs it.