JAKARTA: The Indonesian government is set to broaden its Free Nutritious Meal Programme to include pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers starting in 2025. Initially designed to provide free meals to preschool and school-aged children to combat malnutrition, the program will now support a wider demographic.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati announced the expansion during a session of the Indonesian House of Representatives on Tuesday, August 27. She stated that this expansion aims to improve nutritional standards, enhance cognitive development, and address stunting.
According to Antara news agency, the government has allocated 197.8 trillion rupiah (US$12.8 billion) to the health budget for the upcoming year, with a focus on preventing stunting. The World Health Organization defines stunting as impaired growth and development in children due to poor nutrition, repeated infections, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation.
Indonesia has made notable progress in reducing stunting rates from 37.2 percent to 21.5 percent over the past decade. However, Indrawati highlighted the need to accelerate this progress.
Originally targeting only school-aged children, including those in preschool through senior high school, the program was previously known as the Free Lunch Programme before its rebranding in May.
The initiative aims to enhance student nutrition, improve academic performance, encourage school attendance, and reduce dropout rates. It also seeks to boost economic growth by 0.10 percent and create about 820,000 jobs through local micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
The expanded program will be implemented through public kitchens, involving MSMEs. For 2025, the government has set aside 71 trillion rupiah for the program, covering food costs, distribution, and operational expenses of the newly established National Nutrition Agency. Currently, the program is being piloted in Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, and East Java before its full rollout next year.
