The Indonesia government has announced that President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals program, which was introduced earlier this month across 26 provinces in the country, will remain in effect during Ramadan and that Muslim students will be permitted to bring the food home. National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Dadan Hindayana said the agency would continue the program through the fasting month “as that’s the most important and highly anticipated activity” in schools. During its official introduction on Jan. 6, the program reached approximately 570,000 beneficiaries, most of whom were students.
The government initially planned to gradually increase the number of recipients to 3 million by March and 15 million by the end of the year, or the end of the first stage of the program’s implementation. But Prabowo recently called for the rollout to be expedited and the ultimate target of 82 million beneficiaries be achieved this year. “If we get an additional Rp 100 trillion [$6.1 billion] by September, that would be enough to feed 82 million people,” Dadan said previously.
The government has allocated Rp 71 trillion for the program’s first phase, with the funding formerly expected to expand to Rp 420 trillion by the end of 2025 in order to feed 82 million people on a budget of Rp 10,000 per meal. Stunting affects 21.5 percent of children in the country of some 282 million people, and policymakers aim to reduce the rate to 5 percent by 2045, in part through the free meals program. But recent cases of foodborne illness surrounding the program have raised concerns among parents and experts alike, who have called for better implementation of food hygiene and safety procedures.
At least two cases of large-scale food poisoning related to the program arose last week, one in Sukoharjo, Central Java, and the other in Nunukan, North Kalimantan, with children reportedly falling ill after consuming the distributed lunches. Dadan of the BGN promised to review the cases, adding that President Prabowo understood that such incidents could happen anytime. The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), meanwhile, said the free meals program would require clearer and more stringent hygiene measures to prevent the recurrence of food poisoning events. (vny)