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Majority Satisfied with Free Nutritious Meal Program, Survey Finds

Yustinus Paat
February 11, 2026 | 2:57 pm
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Children pray before eating the government-aided nutritious meals at an elementary school in Central Sulawesi on April 22, 2025. (Antara Photo/Andry Denisah)
Children pray before eating the government-aided nutritious meals at an elementary school in Central Sulawesi on April 22, 2025. (Antara Photo/Andry Denisah)

Jakarta. A new survey by the Indonesian Political Indicator Institute shows that 72.8% of respondents are satisfied with President Prabowo Subianto's flagship Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.

“Accoeding to our survey, 12.2% are very satisfied and 60.6% are quite satisfied,” said Burhanuddin Muhtadi, lead researcher at the Indonesian Political Indicator Institute, during an online press conference on Sunday.

The survey was conducted using a multistage random sampling method and involved 1,220 respondents across all provinces in Indonesia. Assuming simple random sampling, the survey has a margin of error of less than 2.9 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

Deputy Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Lodewyk Pusung welcomed the findings, calling them a positive signal of public approval for the program.

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“Of course, this reflects the success of President Prabowo Subianto. We are only carrying out the president’s directives,” Lodewyk told reporters on Tuesday.

He added that the agency will continue to seek support from the public to further improve the program.

“We ask for the community’s support so we can continue making improvements, including assistance in supervising the program on the ground,” Lodewyk said.

The government aims to deliver the MBG program to 82.9 million beneficiaries, including pregnant and breastfeeding women, children under five, and students up to senior high school level. The program could require up to Rp350 trillion ($20.88 billion) annually.

As of end-December 2025, realization of MBG program budget stood at Rp 51.5 trillion, or around 72.5% of its Rp 71 trillion ceiling. The program reached 56.13 million beneficiaries out of the 82.9 million targeted across 38 provinces, supported by 19,343 kitchens (SPPG).

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