Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto's flagship Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program has far exceeded its first-year target, reaching more than 55 million beneficiaries nationwide, according to the National Nutrition Agency (BGN).

BGN Deputy Head Nanik S. Deyang said the program was initially designed to serve just 6 million people in 2025 but has grown nearly tenfold within its first year of implementation.

“The original target for 2025 was only 6 million beneficiaries. As of today, the number of people we serve has reached 55.1 million,” Nanik said during a visit to SMK Negeri 1 Jakarta High School on Thursday.

She attributed the sharp increase largely to strong participation from the public and private partners in building and operating community-based nutrition kitchens (SPPG). Without such partnerships, she said, the fiscal burden on the state would have been significantly heavier.

“If all the kitchens were built solely by the government, the investment would run into tens of trillions of rupiah,” Nanik said. “If we calculate 20,000 kitchens at around Rp 2 billion each ($119,000) that would amount to Rp40 trillion. That investment has effectively been made by our partners.”

As of early January 2026, a total of 19,188 SPPG units are operating across Indonesia. Beyond expanding access to nutritious meals, the program has also become a major source of job creation.

Nanik said around 902,000 workers are directly involved in SPPG kitchens, with about 789,318 currently active. The employment impact extends further through indirect jobs linked to supply chains and supporting industries.

“The MBG program has significantly opened new employment opportunities, especially in the nutritious food service sector,” she said.

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), cooperatives, village-owned enterprises (BUMDes), joint village enterprises (BUMDesma), Kopdes Merah Putih, and a wide range of suppliers are involved in providing raw materials. BGN data show that 46,955 suppliers are currently participating in the program.

According to Nanik, the number of indirect workers linked to MBG has reached around 1.5 million people, bringing total employment connected to the program to roughly 2.5 million nationwide.

“Overall, about 2.5 million people are now working and involved in the MBG program,” she said.