Indonesia Overhauls Free School Meal Program After Corruption Probe

The Indonesian government has launched a comprehensive clean‑up of the Free School Meal (Makan Bergizi Gratis, MBG) program following allegations of corruption in the sale of service points. Under the new leadership of BGN chief Nanik S. Deyang, officials are re‑evaluating thousands of service locations, recalculating the program’s budget—originally projected at Rp 268 trillion—and tightening kitchen management to improve efficiency without cutting funding. The overhaul aims to keep the program running, especially for disadvantaged, frontier and remote (3T) areas and for pregnant and nursing mothers and children (3B).

Menteri Sekretaris Negara Prasetyo Hadi has instructed Gerindra party cadres who operate MBG service units (SPPG) to strictly follow established standard operating procedures. He reiterated that the government expects the re‑organisation to be completed within a month while maintaining uninterrupted service.

Separately, the Head of the Regional Nutrition Service in Central Java, Hadiriajaya, warned that many SPPG kitchens are not purchasing food from local farmers and livestock producers as intended. He urged regional heads to issue suspension recommendations for any SPPG that fails to source locally, reinforcing the program’s goal of supporting domestic agricultural markets.