Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) recorded that 1,837 nutrition fulfillment service units (SPPG) have been operating in almost all provinces in Indonesia and have absorbed 72,521 workers to process and distribute free nutritious meals (MBG).
"As of today, 1,837 SPPGs have been operating in almost all provinces in Indonesia," the Communications Special Staff to the Head of BGN, Redy Hendra Gunawan, informed in a press statement on Sunday.
His party is targeting to increase the number of SPPGs to 7,000 units in August, and gradually reach 32,000 units in November 2025.
BGN has also involved a total of 72,521 workers in implementing SPPG services, with the composition consisting of 1,837 SPPG heads, 1,499 nutritionists, 1,481 accountants, 1,642 field heads, as well as 1,525 cooks and 11,884 chefs.
Followed by 10,120 preparation personnel, 16,027 portioning personnel, 5,660 drivers, 17,083 food container washing personnel, 2,390 cleaning personnel, and 1,375 security personnel, Gunawan continued.
If the SPPG target is met, he said that this program could open up to 1.5 million jobs.
He then emphasized that the agency will continue the acceleration of SPPG expansion throughout Indonesia.
Gunawan informed that as of this Sunday, the MBG beneficiaries have reached 5,228,529 people.
The MBG program targets various groups of beneficiaries, ranging from students from kindergarten to high schools; pregnant women; breastfeeding mothers; and toddlers.
According to him, the MBG program is intended to support the fulfillment of nutritional needs for these groups.
"The MBG program is a manifestation of the government's commitment to improving human resources quality in order to create a healthy generation," he remarked.
The MBG program received a budget allocation of Rp71 trillion (US$4.2 billion) in the 2025 State Budget, initially targeting 17.9 million recipients comprising 15.5 million students and 2.4 million pregnant or breastfeeding mothers and toddlers.
However, in line with President Prabowo Subianto's directive, the target is increased to reach 82.9 million recipients, served by 32 thousand SPPGs or public kitchens.
To meet this target, the government planned to raise the MBG budget by Rp100 trillion (US$5.9 billion), resulting in a total budget of Rp171 trillion (US$10 billion).
