Indonesia launches ambitious free-meal programme to combat stunting

Students receiving lunch plates on the first day of a free-meal programme at PGRI 6 Junior High School in Bogor, West Java, on Jan 6, 2025. - AFP

JAKARTA: Indonesia launched an ambitious US$4.3 billion free-meal programme on Monday (Jan 6) to combat stunted growth due to malnutrition, a key election promise of President Prabowo Subianto.

Prabowo has pledged to provide nutritious meals free to tens of millions of schoolchildren and pregnant women, saying it would improve their quality of life and boost economic growth.