Antara News·Indonesia·Monday, November 2, 2026 at 12:44 PM UTC

Indonesia's free meals program employs 1.03 million workers: BGN

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Lintang Budiyanti, Tegar Nurfitra

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government has created more than one million jobs for Indonesians through the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program and remains committed to improving distribution accuracy to support better human resource development.

"Overall, this program has reached more than 58 million recipients and employed around 1.03 million workers," National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Head Sudaryono said in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday.

As the program's implementing authority, BGN had verified 26,723 MBG kitchens out of 27,485 existing facilities nationwide as of the end of October 2026.

Sudaryono added that the flagship initiative had also involved more than 80,000 food suppliers nationwide, including micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

He further emphasized that the government remains committed to ensuring food safety as the program continues to expand.

"Food safety remains a priority," he affirmed, stressing the agency's determination to prevent food safety incidents.

In this regard, he said BGN had introduced stricter oversight measures for program implementation, including tighter scrutiny of kitchen operators' compliance with food safety and operational standards.

The agency had permanently closed thousands of kitchens that failed to meet the required standards and imposed strict sanctions, including funding suspensions for operators that failed to maintain transparency in daily budget reporting, Sudaryono added.

He also highlighted what BGN has dubbed MBG 2.0, a reform approach under which the expansion of beneficiary coverage must be accompanied by improvements in day-to-day operations, including kitchen hygiene and food safety.

Launched on Jan. 6, 2025, the MBG program is one of the key promises made by President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka during their election campaign.

The government expects the program to help improve the quality of Indonesia's human resources by expanding access to nutritious meals for schoolchildren, toddlers, breastfeeding mothers, and pregnant women.

The initiative is also expected to generate employment and stimulate economic activity through the involvement of local MSMEs as food suppliers.

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