Free Nutritious Meals Program Shifts to 5 Days; Savings Hit Rp20 Trillion

6 hours ago 4

March 31, 2026 | 09:08 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that potential budget savings from optimizing the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program to five days per week have reached Rp20 trillion.

In an online press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday, Airlangga explained that this optimization is implemented by providing fresh food five days a week.

However, exceptions apply to dormitories, as well as underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) regions and areas struggling with high stunting rates. "The potential savings from this activity reach Rp20 trillion," Airlangga noted, as reported by Antara.

This policy forms part of the government's broader structural transformation aimed at creating a more efficient, productive, and resilient economy, particularly in mitigating global dynamics.

Separately, Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) for Public Communication and Investigation, explained that fresh food under the MBG Program will be distributed five times a day to schoolchildren.

Meanwhile, in the 3T regions, dry food that does not require complex processing will be provided to beneficiaries.

"Fresh food is distributed for only five days for schoolchildren. For the 3T regions, dry food that is not processed is provided, for example, milk, fruit, bread, and other items that are easier to store and distribute," she said in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Nanik explained that this distribution scheme is designed to maintain the quality and freshness of the ingredients used in menu preparation, while also accounting for logistical effectiveness in areas with difficult geographic conditions.

The BGN emphasized the importance of rigorous data collection to determine which areas are eligible for this special policy. The latest data from the 2024 Indonesian Nutritional Status Survey (SSGI) by the Ministry of Health serves as the primary reference for identifying priority areas for nutrition interventions, particularly in eastern Indonesia.

Read: No Cuts to Free Meal Program: BGN Streamlines Budget

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