"It has been carried out at 1,397 nutritional fulfillment service units (SPPGs) across 38 provinces in Indonesia," BGN head Dadan Hindayana said during a meeting with the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Wednesday.
He informed that his agency is targeting to set up around 294 new SPPGs in several regions by next week, which could potentially increase the number of beneficiaries by around 882 thousand.
Therefore, Hindayana said, by the last week of May 2025, the BGN projects the number of beneficiaries to reach 4.8 million, surpassing the target of 4 million set by President Prabowo Subianto.
In addition to the addition of SPPGs, he affirmed that the BGN is continuing to make improvements to ensure the success of the free meals program, including shortening the duration between the cooking and preparation process and the distribution of food to prevent food poisoning.
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According to Hindayana, shortening the time between the preparation and distribution of the meals is important to ensure their freshness.
In addition, the BGN has urged SPPGs to be more careful in selecting food materials to ensure they are safe and fresh.
The agency has also asked SPPGs to carry out an organoleptic test for the look, smell, taste, and texture of the food before distributing it.
The Free Nutritious Meals program is one of the main programs initiated by President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka for their 2024–2029 term.
Through the program, the government aims to improve the nutritional status of children under five, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and schoolchildren up to high school level.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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