The Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG) continues to reinforce its role as one of Indonesia’s key national strategies delivering real impact on public health—especially for children and vulnerable groups. During the 2025 Bank Indonesia Annual Meeting in Jakarta on Friday (28/11/2025), President Prabowo Subianto highlighted the program’s significant achievements, noting its major contribution to improving national nutrition quality.
“My brothers and sisters, I thank the Head of the National Nutrition Agency. As of today, we have reached more than 44 million beneficiaries who have received Free Nutritious Meals,” President Prabowo stated.
He added that by the end of November, the government had produced and distributed more than two billion meal portions to beneficiaries across the country. The President regarded this as one of the most progressive policies in advancing national nutrition improvement.
Launched on January 6, 2025, the MBG program has also gained strong support from academics. Prof. Sandra Fikawati, Professor at the Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia (UI), stated that MBG carries tremendous momentum for closing the nutrition gap and strengthening the foundation of Indonesia’s human resources.
“In the past, children’s growth was not prioritized, which is why our human resources were less competitive. MBG is a huge opportunity because it nurtures children with good nutrition from an early age,” Prof. Sandra explained.
She further noted that improved nutrition affects more than just health—it enhances learning ability, brain development, and student discipline in participating in education, especially in remote and disadvantaged regions.
Research by the Center for Nutrition and Health Studies (PKGK) FKM UI also reinforces the program’s urgency. A simulation intervention conducted in 15 schools (from kindergarten to junior high school) and one posyandu across six regions showed:
- Severe malnutrition decreased from 2% to 0.5%
- Moderate malnutrition decreased from 7.7% to 6.4%
- In just 15 weeks, children gained an average of 2 kg in weight and 2.9 cm in height
These findings strengthen the belief that routine provision of nutritious meals is a strategic approach to reducing malnutrition. Additionally, students’ understanding of balanced nutrition improved after receiving nutrition education alongside the meals.
Prof. Sandra noted that the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), in collaboration with five universities including UI, is developing educational modules to expand nutrition awareness among students and parents.
“Educational modules to strengthen MBG are being prepared by BGN because children need to understand the benefits of the meals provided,” she said.
She added that BGN and academic institutions are also preparing to launch nutritionist certification.
“Certification for nutritionists is currently being prepared so that in the future, nutrition professionals can ensure food safety while also educating communities,” Prof. Sandra concluded.
With rising achievements and growing academic support, the MBG Program demonstrates that strengthening early childhood nutrition is a strategic investment to ensure Indonesia develops a healthy, intelligent, and competitive generation.