BGN Head Dadan Hindayana made the remarks during a visit to State Elementary School 01 in Kalibaru, North Jakarta, on Thursday, stressing that the program’s priority extends beyond students to the most nutritionally vulnerable groups.
“Even in 2026, we will continue to prioritize the first 1,000 days of life,” Hindayana said.
“That is why during school holidays and Ramadan, the program will keep running, because our main targets are pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and toddlers. This golden period is very short and decisive for preventing stunting and supporting early brain development,” he added.
He said nutritional support during pregnancy and early childhood must be consistent throughout the year, regardless of religious observances or school schedules, given its long-term impact on physical growth and cognitive development.
The sustained delivery of MBG meals, Hindayana added, is expected to support the government’s target of sharply reducing Indonesia’s national stunting rate, which remains a major public health challenge.
“By the end of 2025, around 55.1 million people had benefited from this program,” he said. “With numbers that large, the supply chain requirements are enormous. Thank God, the MBG program has also generated a significant economic impact.”
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According to Hindayana, about 700,000 people were directly employed in 19,188 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), or MBG kitchens, across Indonesia by 2025, not including farmers, suppliers and other providers of food ingredients.
BGN previously announced that the MBG program resumed simultaneously nationwide on Thursday, January 8, following the school holiday break. By the end of last year, it had reached approximately 55.1 million beneficiaries.
Launched on January 6, 2025, the free meals program is one of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiatives, targeting children under five, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and students up to senior high school level.
The government aims to expand coverage to 82.9 million beneficiaries, making it one of the largest social nutrition programs ever implemented in Indonesia.
Related news: Free Nutritious Meal to reach all villages in 2026, Prabowo says
Translator: Prisca Triferna, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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