JAKARTA: The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is conducting surveys through a special team to refine the distribution of the free nutritious meal programme, citing President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to prioritise undernourished children and low-income families as the primary beneficiaries of his flagship initiative.
BGN deputy head Nanik S. Deyang said the newly-established team, called the Recipients Optimization Team, is tasked with identifying eligible recipients to ensure the programe reaches those most in need.
“We began data collection this Monday across Jakarta to identify priority recipients,” Nanik told The Jakarta Post on Monday (April 20).
She added that a needs-based approach is expected to improve the programme’s effectiveness, with initial coordination planned with the Social Affairs Ministry and the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry to exchange and synchronize recipient data.
BGN will subsequently validate the combined data through field surveys, with Nanik noting that the final list of beneficiaries will be determined by the agency following verification.
Nanik introduced the recalibration plan earlier this month, saying it reflects Prabowo’s directive that the free meals programme should focus on children who are unable to meet their nutritional needs.
“The President said the programme must not be forced. The free nutritious meals programe should focus on children who truly need nutritional improvement,” Nanik was quoted as saying by Kompas.com, underscoring the urgency of addressing malnutrition among children in low-income households.
“If children come from well-off families, they do not need the free meals because their parents can already provide nutritious meals at home,” she added.
Prabowo has also emphasised that participation in the programme should not be mandatory, particularly for students from families who can already afford adequate nutrition. It remains unclear whether the recalibration of recipients will affect the programme’s ambitious target of covering more than 82 million schoolchildren and pregnant women nationwide.
BGN head Dadan Hindayana did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment. The program has continued to face scrutiny following a series of food poisoning incidents.
The latest case, reported earlier this month, saw 72 children in East Jakarta hospitalized, bringing the total number of affected individuals to more than 20,000 since the programme’s rollout in early 2025.
BGN has also drawn widespread criticism over alleged overspending on procurements deemed “unnecessary” to the programme, including purchases of electric vehicles and the hiring of event planners, further fuelling public debate over its management and accountability. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
