The minister made the announcement in Jakarta on Tuesday in response to citizens' complaints about the uneven rollout of the free meals program, which the government launched on January 6, in their regions.
"Our country is big. This is part of prototyping to determine the right model," he remarked.
He explained that for the free meals program, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture coordinates about the beneficiaries, mainly school students.
Meanwhile, the program's execution is coordinated by the National Nutrition Agency and the Coordinating Ministry for Food.
Pratikno reiterated that his ministry continues to coordinate to prepare schools to serve as beneficiaries and ensure that they continue to provide ongoing support and feedback for improving the program.
Earlier, on Monday (January 13), the minister monitored the implementation of the free meals program at the Cahaya Jaya Special Education School, North Jakarta.
"Free Nutritious Meals help people to improve the quality of food and the eating habits of our children," he remarked.
He expressed hope that healthy eating habits would have an impact on people by improving their economy, especially for the lower-middle class.
The Indonesian government officially launched the Free Nutritious Meals program on January 6, 2025, across 190 locations in 26 provinces.
A budget of Rp71 trillion (around US$4.36 billion) has been allocated for the program, which is one of the priority programs of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
Through the program, the government aims to enhance the nutritional intake of children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to high school age.
Related news: Indonesia, Japan to advance free nutritious meals program talks
Related news: Indonesia's free meals program improves child nutrition, eating habits
Related news: Govt to conduct evaluation of free meals program
Translator: Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
