JAKARTA, Thekabarnews.com—The Indonesian government is planning to change how it runs its Free Meals (MBG) program. This is because the number of nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG) has exceeded the original goal. Additionally, spending on the program has increased significantly.

Coordinating Food Minister Zulkifli Hasan, or Zulhas, said the government had originally planned to establish 21,000 SPPG locations across the country. However, the latest figure is 27,877 SPPG—6,877 more than the target.

The spike was due to the buying and selling of registration points for the SPPG. As a result, there were more operational sites than initially planned, said Zulhas, according to Detik News.

“The first target was 21,000 locations, but that total has now increased to 27,877. That means the number has increased by 6,877 locations,” Zulhas said in a press conference in Central Jakarta on Thursday, June 11.

He warned the expansion has increased government spending substantially. Under the current scheme, the government gives an operational incentive of Rp6 million per day for each SPPG.

The government estimates it spends more than Rp1 trillion (around US$61 million) in additional funding each month. This is with nearly 6,900 SPPG running above the target.

Zulhas said the government’s additional expenditure could reach Rp12 trillion annually if the authorities do not reorganize the program.

“We have to restructure the program. We need to fix and solve this problem,” he said.

The minister also mentioned similar disparities in the 3T regions of Indonesia—underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost regions.

Initially, the government planned to construct some 2,000 SPPG locations in those areas. The number has now increased to 8,617, including 6,138 locations that have received official approval from the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).

The government has ordered BGN and related ministries to comprehensively review the implementation of the program to improve efficiency. Officials said the restructuring process would take about a month.

“This issue also needs to be resolved quickly, and we expect the restructuring to take about a month,” said Zulhas.

“We will check all MBG kitchens before deciding on further action,” State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi stated.

He said the program is less efficient because there are so many operating kitchens. Furthermore, all facilities are given the same daily operating incentive.

Prasetyo said the government is considering closing the excess SPPG locations, but officials have yet to decide.

“Certainly that’s one of the possibilities that we are looking at. “But we have to assess and take stock of the condition of each SPPG before taking any decision,” he said.

However, Prasetyo said the government would still prioritize the uninterrupted distribution of meals for beneficiaries during the restructuring period. This is despite the ongoing review.

“Kitchens already operating must continue to serve beneficiaries without disruption. At the same time, we will continue to make improvements and strengthen supervision to ensure the quality of service remains high. We don’t want the quality of the program to suffer in the restructuring,” he remarked.

The Free Meals (MBG) program is one of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship programs to improve children’s nutrition and strengthen Indonesia’s human capital.

The government aims to enhance operational efficiency and better utilization of the budget through the proposed restructuring. It also aims to ensure that the program continues to provide quality meals to millions of beneficiaries across the country.

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