JAKARTA - Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Nanik Sudaryati Deyang revealed President Prabowo Subianto's message that the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program should not be done in a hurry or hoax in order to pursue the target number of recipients, but rather prioritize nutritional quality and food safety.
"We are optimistic that MBG can achieve the target of 82.9 million because as of today it has reached 55.1 million recipients. However, the President said in the retreat, 'Don't mess around'. Why don't mess around? So that the quality of human resources and the development of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit is really in accordance with the technical instructions, so that it can lead to zero accidents or food poisoning," said Nanik while reviewing the implementation of MBG at SMK Negeri 1 Jakarta, Antara, Thursday, January 8.
Nanik said that in 2026 there will be an addition to the MBG beneficiaries, especially from pesantren and children in transit houses who have not been accommodated in People's Schools.
"Wherever the rights of Indonesian children are, whether in official pondok that are registered with the Ministry of Religion or not, they will all receive MBG. Likewise, children in shelters, including those who are currently on the road and have not been accommodated in People's Schools," he said.
He emphasized that BGN is optimistic that the target of 82.9 million MBG recipients will be achieved by May 2026 in accordance with President Prabowo's instructions. This optimism is based on the achievement of the program which far exceeds the initial target.
"God willing, the target for May can be achieved. Previously in 2025 we only targeted six million recipients, but as of today it has reached 55.1 million," said Nanik.
Regarding the budget, Nanik explained that the Rp71 trillion fund allocated in 2025 was considered sufficient to reach six million targets. In 2026, a budget of Rp335 trillion will be optimized, especially to improve governance and increase the quality of SPPG to reduce the risk of food poisoning incidents.
"In 2025, the budget is IDR 71 trillion, the realization is around IDR 53 trillion and that is enough. In the future, a larger budget will be used for improving governance and improving service quality," he said.
Throughout 2025, BGN recorded that it had built 19,188 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units spread across Indonesia. The MBG program has reached 55.1 million beneficiaries, ranging from school students, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, to toddlers.
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