Coordinating Minister for Food and Agriculture ensures MBG will continue to run during Ramadan

Jakarta - Coordinating Minister for Food and Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas), has ensured that the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program at schools will continue during the holy month of Ramadan.

Adjustments to the mechanism were made to respect students who were fasting.

Zulhas explained that the government would not provide ready-to-eat meals during the day for fasting students. Instead, students will be given dry food to take home and eat during the time of breaking the fast.

"So later if you eat nutritious food, in the holy month of Ramadan, for Muslim students, yes, later dry food will be provided. Eggs are dry, bread, dates, will be brought home," said Zulhas when met at the PANFAST 2026 event in City Forest, Senayan, Central Jakarta, Saturday, February 14.

The government has prepared different schemes depending on the beneficiary group:

Non-Muslim students: They will still get MBG in the form of ready-to-eat food as usual, because they do not carry out fasting.

Pesantren: MBG akan tetap diberikan, namun waktu penyalurannya digeser tidak pada siang hari, melainkan pada waktu berbuka puasa.

Vulnerable Groups: For pregnant women, nursing mothers, and toddlers, there is no change in the mechanism, the service remains normal.

Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that although there was a change in the type of menu to dry food for Muslim students during Ramadan, the nutritional quality and MBG lauk were still guaranteed and would not change.

With this adjustment, the government hopes that the nutritional needs of Indonesian children can continue to be met consistently during Ramadan.