Kadin task force to supportMBG kitchen certification

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) launched the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Gotong Royong Task Force to strengthen the nutritional status of 80 million children across Indonesia.

Kadin Indonesia chairperson Anindya Bakrie said that the task force is part of his side's quick-win programs, which include MBG Gotong Royong, decent housing, free health check-ups, and migrant worker empowerment.

"We have established a special task force, which will be active starting tomorrow (May 14, 2025). This will allow everyone interested in setting up an SPPG unit or MBG kitchen to get certified," he informed here on Tuesday.

He said that the MBG Gotong Royong program seeks to combine the use of a measurable approach and efforts to empower regions by using Kadin's extensive network across districts and cities nationwide.

The launch of the MBG Task Force has the full support of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kadin in March 2025.

Kadin has also prepared an operational office for the MBG Task Force and held basic training to support the certification of providers of MBG meals for school-aged children.

Bakrie emphasized the importance of certification for MBG kitchens, noting that the government has allocated a huge budget of Rp170 trillion or around US$10.2 billion for the Free Nutritious Meals program.

A pilot project of the program will be launched at six locations, with the goal of expanding to one thousand sites ahead of Independence Day celebrations on August 17, 2025.

In the initial phase, the project will be implemented at 16 locations across Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi Islands.