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The program has come under scrutiny for its implementation and high cost, which is set to total nearly $15 billion in 2026.
Beneficiaries of Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, as seen in a photo posted on the Facebook page of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) on May 13, 2026.
The Indonesian agency overseeing President Prabowo Subianto’s multibillion-dollar free meals program will seek to improve the efficiency of the scheme and prioritize servicing more remote areas, its head said yesterday.
The Free Nutritious Meals program, known by its Indonesian acronym MBG, is among the most important of Prabowo’s social policies, and was among his main campaign promises during the presidential election of 2024. Its aim was to provide free meals to 83 million children and pregnant women across Indonesia.
