By: Indah Prastiwi )*
The government’s ambitious target of ensuring every Indonesian child receives free, nutritious meals by 2025 reflects the country’s strong commitment to building a healthier and more productive generation. President Prabowo Subianto has repeatedly emphasized that this program is no easy task, both in terms of logistical requirements and cross-agency coordination.
However, the President emphasized that these challenges should not diminish the government’s commitment to fulfilling children’s basic right to adequate nutrition. He even stated that funding for this program has been allocated, ensuring the public has no doubts about the government’s readiness to implement it. This confidence is a crucial foundation for ensuring that the 2025 target is truly achieved, especially for the millions of children who have not yet received optimal nutrition.
In his explanation, the President stated that implementation challenges lie not only in the distribution of food throughout the region, but also in the administrative mechanisms to ensure the safe disbursement of funds. The government wants to ensure that every rupiah allocated reaches its intended purpose, with no room for misuse.
The verification and funding securing process does take time, but at the same time, the government continues to seek the quickest and most effective ways to ensure all children can immediately benefit from nutritious food. This emphasis demonstrates the government’s commitment to implementing a major program whose impact will be felt for decades to come.
The free nutritious meal program plays a strategic role in strengthening the quality of Indonesia’s human resources. A country aspiring to become a developed nation cannot ignore the importance of quality health and nutrition as the foundation for development.
Nunung Nuryartono, Acting Deputy for Coordination of Health Quality Improvement and Population Development at the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, assessed that this program is capable of significantly reducing stunting. He explained that routine nutritional interventions provided to schoolchildren can improve health quality from an early age, while simultaneously preventing new cases of stunting. This view underscores that this program is not simply about providing food, but also a long-term investment in Indonesia’s human development.
Nunung explained that the program, which officially launched in January 2025, is also designed to involve local food production. By utilizing agricultural products and those from MSMEs, cooperatives, and village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), this program not only improves children’s nutrition but also stimulates the regional economy.
This concept demonstrates that nutritious food programs do not stand alone but rather provide multiple benefits to the community. When local farmers and businesses are involved, the food supply chain is strengthened and the program’s sustainability is assured. This approach aligns with Indonesia’s need to optimize the potential of local resources for national development.
This program also overlaps with various previous government regulations, including the Presidential Decree on accelerating stunting reduction. Nutritional interventions for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, toddlers, and adolescent girls continue and are being strengthened. Thus, the free nutritious meal program expands the scope of existing health interventions while strengthening stunting prevention efforts from the outset.
When adolescent girls receive treatment for anemia and receive good nutrition, they will enter adulthood in better health. This is a crucial step in breaking the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition.
Nunung also emphasized that implementing the nutritious meal program is a shared responsibility between the central government, ministries, agencies, and local governments. She encouraged integrated health service posts (Posyandu) to play a key role in program oversight and distribution, given their direct relationship with the community.
The government’s commitment to strengthening the program’s structure is also evident in efforts to strengthen the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and its technical implementation units in the regions. Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Rini Widyantini explained that the government will organize and expand the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Offices (KPPG) as the frontline providers of free nutritious food services and distribution.
Strengthening the function of the Nutrition and Nutrition Service Unit (KPPG) includes improving coordination and oversight of nutrition service units at the regional level, as mandated by the latest regulations. This step is crucial for more effective and measurable program governance, ensuring equitable distribution of benefits to the community.
The government also understands that the success of a program of this magnitude requires a strong regulatory foundation. Therefore, developing follow-up regulations is an integral part of the strategy to strengthen governance. With a clear regulatory framework, all parties will have the same guidelines for carrying out their duties, from food distribution to monitoring results in the field. This emphasizes that the government is not simply committed to implementing the program, but also to ensuring that it operates to high standards and with strong accountability.
The government’s target of providing free nutritious meals to all Indonesian children by the end of 2025 is not just a political promise. This program represents a concrete step to ensure the nation’s future is in the hands of a healthy and strong generation. With careful planning, guaranteed funding, and continuously strengthened coordination, the government demonstrates its full commitment to implementing policies that truly benefit the people.
