ASEAN Beat | Society | Southeast Asia

Indonesia’s Free Meal Program to Target ‘Efficiency’ After Arrest of Former Head

The program has come under scrutiny for its implementation and high cost, which is set to total nearly $15 billion in 2026.

Beneficiaries of Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, as seen in a photo posted on the Facebook page of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) on May 13, 2026.

The Indonesian agency overseeing President Prabowo Subianto’s multibillion-dollar free meals program will seek to improve the efficiency of the scheme and prioritize servicing more remote areas, its head said yesterday.

The Free Nutritious Meals program, known by its Indonesian acronym MBG, is among the most important of Prabowo’s social policies, and was among his main campaign promises during the presidential election of 2024. Its aim was to provide free meals to 83 million children and pregnant women across Indonesia.

Addressing the press in Jakarta yesterday, Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, the new head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which is administering the program, said that the agency would seek to “refocus” in a number of priority areas.

“The refocusing measures are aimed at ensuring more efficient use of available ​resources through stronger governance, improved service quality, optimization of existing operational kitchens, and more targeted ​delivery of benefits, particularly in underserved and remote areas,” she said, as per Reuters. She added, “Our primary concern is efficiency.”

Nanik, a former journalist, was appointed to head the program on Wednesday, shortly after her predecessor Dadan Hindayana was sacked and arrested for corruption. The Attorney-General’s Office has charged the former BGN head with causing state losses and enriching himself in connection with his administration of the MBG program. If found guilty, he could face a maximum 20-year prison sentence. Two deputy heads of BGN were also........

© The Diplomat