Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative to provide free school meals to children, launched in January 2025, has faced significant challenges that have affected its implementation, public support, and the country’s finances. Initially a popular promise aimed at combating widespread malnutrition and stunting among Indonesia’s youth, the program is now mired in operational, governance, and health concerns.
The scheme aims to reach 82.9 million recipients nationwide but currently serves approximately 62.7 million, with indications that the number may decline due to budget cuts. Originally allocated Rp335 trillion (around $18.5 billion), the program’s budget has been reduced to Rp229 trillion ($12.8 billion), partly to ease mounting fiscal pressures on the government. Indonesia recorded a fiscal deficit of 2.92 percent last year, close to the legal cap of 3 percent, with higher oil prices and fuel subsidies adding to budgetary strains.
Despite the program’s initial popularity, public confidence has sharply declined. A recent opinion poll by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting found that 61.6 percent of respondents expressed dissatisfaction, citing corruption allegations, poor governance, and repeated food poisoning incidents. Another survey revealed that approval of the program fell from 62.5 percent in November to just 34 percent currently.
Operational difficulties have been compounded by governance issues within the National Nutrition Agency, the government body responsible for overseeing the program. The agency’s leadership has faced legal scrutiny after its chief, Dadan Hindayana, and two deputies were named suspects in a corruption case involving the awarding of kitchen contracts to foundations they controlled. Many kitchens are operated by military and police establishments, while some foundations handling contracts have been linked to political figures, including associates of Prabowo’s Great Indonesia Movement Party.
Food safety concerns have further marred the program’s reputation. According to the Network for Education Watch Indonesia, 37,270 recipients suffered food poisoning as of May. Although President Prabowo previously dismissed these cases as a minimal "margin of error," his administration has recently acknowledged the issue and taken action. A moratorium on new kitchen contracts was imposed following the arrests, and the new agency head, Sudaryono, reported shutting down 833 kitchens for failing to meet operational and hygiene standards. The program currently operates over 27,000 kitchens across Indonesia.
Critics warn that the program’s institutional design was flawed from the outset, with systemic problems making reforms costly and politically challenging. The National Nutrition Agency’s limited oversight capacity and the entanglement of political interests have been cited as key obstacles to effective implementation.
The financial strain of the free meals scheme has led to reductions in other budget areas, including education and infrastructure—a move that has provoked public discontent. A recent ruling by Indonesia’s constitutional court barred the use of the education budget to finance the food program, complicating funding arrangements going forward.
As Prabowo pushes to sustain his welfare agenda amid Indonesia’s complex economic landscape, the free school meals program highlights the difficulties of translating ambitious social policies into effective, sustainable outcomes.