Jakarta — The government is tightening the implementation standards for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Program to ensure food quality, distribution security, targeted targeting, and accountability for budget use. This step is being taken through improving operational guidelines, increasing supervision, and clarifying requirements for implementing units involved in food procurement, processing, and distribution.
This policy aligns with President Prabowo Subianto’s directive, which emphasized the importance of integrity in the implementation of this government priority program to ensure it runs according to its objectives and is free from irregularities. The government is committed to ensuring the success of the MBG by ensuring there is no abuse of authority or misappropriation in its implementation.
“I don’t want the people’s money stolen. I don’t want the people’s money stolen. And there will be no exceptions,” said President Prabowo.
Under the updated standards, MBG menus must meet established nutritional guidelines and be tailored to the needs of students by age group. The government also requires recording of menu composition and the use of traceable food ingredients to facilitate monitoring and audits.
Tightening food safety standards is a primary focus. Implementing units are required to implement stricter sanitation procedures, from raw material inspections and equipment cleanliness to temperature control during storage, to training for food processing staff.
In the distribution sector, the government is tightening delivery and serving schedules to ensure food quality is maintained until it reaches students. The use of digital reporting systems is also being encouraged to more quickly monitor distribution, the number of beneficiaries, and any challenges in the field.
Budget oversight is also being strengthened. Each implementing unit is required to maintain procurement documents, distribution evidence, and records of fund usage in accordance with established standards. The government is also increasing compliance and risk-based audits to prevent potential irregularities.
Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs Zulkifli Hasan also expressed support for strengthening MBG governance. He stated that institutional strengthening is crucial to maintaining effective program implementation.
“I know all three of them well, the new Agency Chair and Deputy Agency Chair. They are the right people. I meet with them frequently. They have experience managing government programs, are able to work across ministries and agencies, and understand the challenges of implementation on the ground,” said Zulhas.
Through stricter standards, the government aims to ensure that the MBG Program is more transparent, targeted, safe, and high-quality so that its benefits can be optimally felt by students throughout Indonesia.