JAKARTA, The Kabar News—Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency (BGN) has introduced a broad overhaul of the Free Meals (MBG) program by tightening kitchen standards and changing how operators receive government incentives.

BGN head Sudaryono announced the changes during a review of his first 100 days in office on Thursday, Oct. 29. The agency calls the new framework “MBG 2.0,” which focuses on governance, food safety and public oversight.

“No one may reserve MBG projects for particular parties. We will also eliminate broker foundations and stop problematic procurement,” Sudaryono said, according to an official BGN statement.

Sudaryono alleged that intermediaries had traded rights to establish Nutrition Fulfilment Service Units (SPPGs) for between Rp300 million and Rp350 million before his appointment.

He also claimed that some intermediary foundations collected between Rp500 and Rp1,500 from the budget allocated for each meal. BGN now plans to contract directly with qualified operators that can finance and operate kitchens.

The allegations have not led to public court findings, and the agency has not named the parties involved. Independent investigations would therefore need to establish individual responsibility.

BGN has also replaced the previous flat incentive of Rp6 million per operating day with a payment of Rp2,000 for every meal delivered. Sudaryono said the proportional system would prevent kitchens serving different numbers of recipients from receiving the same payment.

The agency will suspend transfers to kitchens that fail to submit daily financial reports.

“We must save public money that does not reach the proper target,” Sudaryono said. “BGN will stop disbursing funds to kitchens that do not report their daily spending.”

Under MBG 2.0, SPPG kitchens must register for a Hygiene and Sanitation Eligibility Certificate (SLHS). BGN also plans to use experienced cooks, unannounced inspections and daily operational briefings.

In September, the agency temporarily closed 1,999 SPPGs because they had not registered for the required sanitation certificate. Sudaryono said the closures would remain in place while BGN investigated their compliance.

“Food safety is the priority. Even one affected child is one too many,” he said.

BGN also intends to connect kitchen cameras to a central monitoring system that uses artificial intelligence to flag possible violations. However, the agency has not disclosed how many SPPGs currently have compatible cameras or when nationwide coverage will be completed.

The agency is developing two public-facing platforms. Radar MBG allows parents and schools to check daily menus, nutritional information, meal photographs and the kitchen responsible for preparing the food. LokaMBG will record ingredient purchases and product origins to reduce price manipulation and monopolistic supply arrangements.

BGN has also removed 1,653 relatively affluent schools from the recipient list. It said the meals would instead prioritize disadvantaged, frontier and outermost regions, collectively known as 3T areas, as well as locations with high stunting prevalence.

According to BGN’s 100-day review, the agency had verified well over 58 million beneficiaries and 26,723 SPPGs. It also reported 1.03 million active workers and 80,315 local suppliers, most of them micro, small and medium enterprises.

The overhaul expands BGN’s ability to monitor a program operating on a national scale. Its credibility, however, will depend on consistent enforcement, independently verifiable financial reporting and transparent action against any operator that violates food safety or procurement rules.