Jakarta. The National Nutrition Agency, which is responsible for overseeing the nationwide free meal rollout, is getting a major increase to its annual budget next year.

The agency -- better known by its local acronym BGN -- recently announced that it would get Rp 268 trillion or around $16.3 billion for the 2026 fiscal year. This marked a Rp 50.1 trillion increase compared to the earlier cap of Rp 217.8 trillion. 

“We will allocate the Rp 268 trillion budget for the free meal program. About Rp 34.49 trillion will go into feeding school-age children,” BGN’s head Dadan Hindayana said.

BGN will use some Rp 3.18 trillion to prepare the meals meant for expecting and lactating mothers, as well as toddlers. The agency has also allotted Rp 3.9 trillion in funds for civil servant-related expenses, as well as some Rp 3.1 trillion for the program’s digitalization efforts. About Rp 280 billion will go into promotion, partnership, and community empowerment.

An extra Rp 700 billion will go into monitoring and supervision efforts by the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM). BGN will get Rp 412.5 billion for its systems and governance, including the use of nutritional status data managed by the Health Ministry and Central Statistics Agency (BPS). BGN will also get Rp 3.8 trillion to cover the expenses to coordinate the provision and distribution, including the nutritionists’ salaries and training for the food handlers.

Prabowo’s nine-month-old free meal program has faced some challenges, ranging from food poisoning to portions that are deemed too small. 

Most recently, photos of what appear to be a letter of consent for the students’ parents have gone viral on the internet. The single-page document asks for the parents’ consent to, among others, the food poisoning risks caused by external factors, including the delivery process. According to the letterhead, it is meant for the kids studying at an Islamic school in Central Java’s Brebes. The parents also have the option to exclude their kids from the free meal rollout. The Jakarta Globe has reached out to BGN to confirm the authenticity of the letter, but the agency has yet to respond as of writing. 

The government remains upbeat it can feed 82.9 million individuals, including students and pregnant mothers, by the end of the year. This budget-heavy program was a centerpiece of President Prabowo Subianto’s election campaign. Prabowo believes that the initiative can not only improve children’s nutritional intake, but also boost economic growth. The Finance Ministry reported that BGN had spent around Rp 4.4 trillion in state money so far this year as of June 12.