Indonesia hails ‘99.9% successful’ free meals scheme amid food safety, oversight concerns
Critics have called for a ‘temporary halt’ to the programme to allow for further evaluation as food poisoning cases continue to grow
Launched with fanfare last year, the scheme provides free meals to schoolchildren, infants and pregnant women, with the government framing it as a long-term investment in human capital and economic growth.
In its first year, the programme reached 55.1 million recipients and was overseen by the National Nutrition Agency, or BGN, which has partnered with more than 17,000 kitchens.
The Prabowo administration allocated 71 trillion rupiah (US$4.2 billion) for the programme last year, of which 51.5 trillion rupiah had been spent as of January 7, according to the finance ministry.
This year, the government has set aside 335 trillion rupiah, or 8.7 per cent of the total state budget, to expand coverage to 82.9 million people, including breastfeeding mothers and elderly citizens.
Prabowo has called the programme “strategic” to address malnutrition in up to 30 per cent of Indonesian children.