By: Nanda Pratama
The government continues to strengthen the effectiveness of the Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG) through a series of efficiency policies, comprehensive evaluations, and strengthened governance so that the program’s benefits can be more optimally felt by the community without compromising the quality of service. This step demonstrates the government’s commitment to maintaining the sustainability of one of the national priority programs, while ensuring that every allocated budget can produce maximum benefits, especially for students and communities throughout Indonesia, including underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) areas. This policy is also part of the program’s refinement efforts after more than a year of implementation so that various obstacles that arise in the field can be immediately addressed through a continuous evaluation mechanism.
This commitment to strengthening efficiency was evident in a meeting between Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa and the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Nanik S. Deyang, at the Ministry of Finance in Jakarta. The meeting discussed various strategic steps to optimize the use of the MBG Program budget for more effective implementation. According to Sadewa, the BGN has presented a plan for significant budget savings as part of improving program governance.
Purbaya explained that these efficiency measures were the result of an internal BGN evaluation aimed at improving implementation effectiveness without compromising the quality of public services. He did not provide a specific figure regarding the savings, although he assessed the figure to be significant and suggested that BGN provide further details directly. Previously, in March 2026, Purbaya also stated that BGN’s internal efficiency initiatives had generated potential savings of approximately IDR 40 trillion.
These efficiency measures are also reflected in the adjustment of the MBG Program budget ceiling in the 2026 State Budget, which changed from IDR 335 trillion to IDR 268 trillion. Despite the budget adjustment, program spending realization through May 2026 continued to show positive progress, reaching IDR 88.15 trillion, a 17.5 percent increase compared to the previous month. This condition demonstrates that efficiency is not synonymous with reduced service quality. Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa emphasized that the quality of the nutritious food menu received by beneficiaries remains a top priority, so budget savings are only achieved through optimizing governance and more effective resource utilization.
In addition to focusing on budget efficiency, the government is also strengthening the monitoring system to ensure that the MBG Program meets established standards. Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa explained that employees from the Directorate General of Treasury in various regions will be involved in routinely monitoring the operations of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG). This regular monitoring is expected to ensure that each stage of implementation is transparent, accountable, and in accordance with applicable regulations.
The government is also expanding its collaboration with the National Agency for the Assessment and Application of Nutrient (BGN) by optimizing the utilization of KPKNL offices to support physical inspections and enhancing human resource capacity through financial management training for SPPG heads. Additionally, additional experts in nutrition and finance are being prepared to strengthen service quality and program management in the field.
Meanwhile, National Economic Council Chairman Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan emphasized the need for continued evaluation of the MBG Program, particularly in the 3T (Underdeveloped and Remote Areas) regions, which still face various implementation challenges. He noted that several programs in 3T regions are still not running optimally despite budget allocations. Luhut believes this situation cannot be resolved simply by budget cuts, but rather requires a more comprehensive solution through improvements to the implementation system, oversight, and inter-agency coordination to ensure that all disbursed funds truly benefit the community.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan also assessed that the implementation of the MBG Program provided many important lessons regarding national-scale policy management. He stated that the gradual implementation would provide the government with greater opportunity to identify various technical challenges early on, allowing any obstacles to be addressed before the program’s scope is expanded. He believes the gradual approach would help the government make improvements based on field evaluations, thereby continuously improving the program’s effectiveness as implementation experience increases.
After more than a year of implementation, Luhut believes the government’s understanding of operational needs and technical challenges is now much better than when the program first launched. Therefore, the National Economic Council is optimistic that the quality of MBG implementation will further improve in the next six months to a year thanks to ongoing governance improvements.
Over the past year, the government has also recorded various successes in implementing the national development agenda, ranging from maintaining economic stability amid global challenges, strengthening food security, expanding infrastructure development, improving health and education services, accelerating the digital transformation of government, to strengthening various social protection programs targeting vulnerable communities.
The MBG Program is a concrete manifestation of this commitment, not only supporting improved nutritional quality for the younger generation but also encouraging regional economic empowerment through the involvement of local businesses in the food supply chain. With ongoing evaluation, strengthened oversight, and efficient policies that maintain service quality, the MBG Program is expected to become increasingly effective in achieving its overarching goals.
*) Public Policy Analyst