These programs represent one of the eight Fast-Track Best Results Fast Programs set forth by President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The implementation of these programs is slated to begin in October 2025.
The Free Nutritious Meals program is born out of President Prabowo Subianto’s aspirations to elevate the quality of Indonesia’s human resources, particularly the future generations, fostering optimal physical, cognitive, and mental growth. The objective is to seize the demographic bonus opportunity and pave the way for Indonesia to achieve greatness.
This initiative addresses the critical issue of malnutrition by targeting school children and students, aiming to eradicate both chronic hunger and optimizing the growth and development of Indonesian youth. The Free Nutrition Assistance for pregnant women and toddlers, on the other hand, focuses on reducing stunting, particularly during the first 1,000 days of a child’s life.
These two programs encompass various dimensions, including education, health, economy, socioeconomic empowerment, and social equality. These dimensions collectively contribute to the overall well-being of the Indonesian population.
Globally recognized, the provision of school meals is not a new concept. The ‘School Meal’ program, endorsed by the United Nations World Food Programme (UN-WFP), has been successfully implemented in 93 countries under the School Meals Coalitions, feeding a 418 million children worldwide. Indonesia, drawing on this global success, is well equipped to execute a program of similar magnitude.
The programs cover all mandatory education levels, from primary to secondary, encompassing public and private schools as well as religious schools. It is an inclusive effort, ensuring that individuals from all social and economic strata receive tailored nutritional support based on their needs.
The Free Nutritious Meals and Free Nutrition Assistance for pregnant women and toddlers will be rolled out nationwide, with initial focus on high-priority regions where implementation is most feasible. Target recipients include students, religious school students (santri), teachers, and other stakeholders associated with educational institutions.
With a target of 82.9 million beneficiaries, including students, religious school students, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers, the programs aim to provide daily benefits. School students will receive lunches on school days, pesantren school students will receive daily meals throughout the week.
The execution of these programs is said to be overseen by a newly established entity called the National Nutrition Agency, Collaboration with the UN-WFP, world renowned organizations, and support from other experienced countries will be a cornerstone, leveraging their expertise and global reference in similar initiatives.
The menu, nutrition standards, and dietary guidelines will be meticulously crafted, taking into account food diversification from each local wisdom and the availability of ingredients. Each meal portion will meet the daily nutritional needs, with diverse menus introduced daily.
In terms of economic impact, the reference cost for producing a Free Nutritious Meals portion is set at IDR 15,000, excluding milk. Regional variations in commodity prices will be factored in using price ratio adjustments.
Emphasizing local sourcing, raw materials for the program will primarily be obtained from small-scale agricultural, fishing, and livestock ventures, promoting local food diversification at each service unit.
The technical execution of the Free Nutritious Meals and Free Nutrition Assistance will be carried out by service units, the district and city levels. With an ambitious target of 82.9 million beneficiaries, approximately 48,000 service units will be required nationwide.
Each unit could be headed by a unit manager responsible for quality assurance and overall operational aspects. Targeting the production of around 2,000 meal portions daily, each unit could cater to schools and beneficiaries within a 6 km radius, adapting to regional conditions and needs.