Indonesian Audit Watch calls for stronger governance of free nutrition‑meal program
Indonesian Audit Watch (IAW) urged the Indonesian government to reinforce the governance of the Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) free nutrition‑meal programme. Founder and secretary Iskandar Sitorus emphasized that, given the programme’s large scale and the movement of state budget (APBN) funds, transparency, accountability and clear legal frameworks are essential.
The MBG programme is a national strategic effort to improve the nutrition of school‑age children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and toddlers while stimulating the economy by involving farmers, fishers, cooperatives and MSMEs. By mid‑2026 it had reached more than 63 million beneficiaries through roughly 29 600 Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG) units. The programme has faced challenges such as frequent changes to technical guidelines, kitchen capacity adjustments, the closure of partner verification portals, evolving legal relationships between the Badan Gizi Nasional (BGN), foundations and partners, and allegations of food‑poisoning that have prompted regional evaluations.
Minister coordinator Zulhas noted that the MBG programme is prioritised for Islamic schools, other religious schools and 3T (frontier, remote, and less‑developed) areas. IAW called for the evaluation phase to be used to tighten regulations, improve supervision and ensure that public funds are used transparently and accountably.
Entities: Badan Gizi Nasional · Badan Gizi Nasional (BGN) · Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) · Indonesian Audit Watch · Iskandar Sitorus · Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) · Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) programme · President Prabowo Subianto
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Badan Gizi Nasional (BGN) was established in August 2024 and now manages the MBG programme. (IAW, Iskandar Sitorus)
- [● 3 SOURCES] IAW warned that the large movement of public money in the MBG programme makes strong governance a necessity rather than an option. (IAW, Iskandar Sitorus)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The MBG programme aims to improve nutrition for school children, pregnant women, lactating mothers and toddlers and to boost the national economy by involving farmers, fishers, cooperatives and MSMEs. (IAW, Iskandar Sitorus)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] By mid‑2026, the MBG programme had reached more than 63 million beneficiaries through about 29,600 SPPG units. (ANTARA report cited by IAW)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Minister coordinator Zulhas said the MBG programme is prioritized for Islamic schools, other religious schools and 3T areas. (Zulhas (quoted by IAW))
- [● 3 SOURCES] Indonesian Audit Watch called for the government to strengthen governance of the MBG programme to ensure transparency, accountability and legal certainty. (IAW, Iskandar Sitorus)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Alleged food‑poisoning incidents have prompted government evaluations in several regions. (IAW, Iskandar Sitorus)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The programme faces challenges including changes to technical guidelines, kitchen capacity adjustments, partner verification portal closures, legal relationship changes between BGN, foundations and ‑ (IAW, Iskandar Sitorus)