Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship initiative to provide free school meals for all children has encountered significant setbacks since its launch in January 2025. Originally intended to combat widespread malnutrition and stunting, the program has struggled with governance issues, budget cuts, and public health concerns, undermining both its goals and its popularity.
The ambitious scheme aims to serve 82.9 million recipients across Indonesia but currently reaches around 62.7 million people. With mounting financial pressures, the government is now considering scaling back the program. Its budget has been reduced from Rp335 trillion ($18.5 billion) to Rp229 trillion ($12.8 billion), fueled by tensions in the state budget and a constitutional court ruling prohibiting the use of the education budget to fund the initiative.
Public dissatisfaction has surged amid reports of corruption and food safety scandals. An opinion poll released this week showed approval for the program had dropped to 34 percent from 62.5 percent in November. The same poll found 61.6 percent of respondents dissatisfied, with concerns centered on governance failures, corruption allegations, and recurring food poisoning cases.
Since the program’s inception, food poisoning has afflicted tens of thousands of recipients. According to the Network for Education Watch Indonesia, 37,270 children reported food poisoning as of May. Despite this, President Prabowo has previously minimized the incidents, describing the number of poisoning cases as a “humane margin of error.” However, the administration has recently acknowledged the risks and introduced corrective measures.
The program's management has been marred by instability and controversy. The director of the scheme resigned last month after only 45 days in the role, citing severe stress. Her predecessor left following an arrest for suspected corruption. In June, Dadan Hindayana, head of the National Nutrition Agency overseeing the program, and two deputies were named suspects by the Attorney General’s Office for allegedly awarding kitchen contracts to foundations they controlled.
The program’s kitchen operations have come under particular scrutiny. Over 27,000 kitchens operate nationwide, with many owned or affiliated with military, police, and political figures connected to the Great Indonesia Movement Party—the political party of President Prabowo. Following the corruption allegations, the government has imposed a moratorium on new kitchen contracts. Sudaryono, the new agency head, has permanently closed 833 kitchens failing to meet hygiene and operational standards.
Critics argue that the program’s institutional design was flawed from the outset. Media Wahyudi Askar of civil society coalition MBG Watch described the system as rigid and chaotic, requiring significant financial and political effort to overhaul. The program’s rapid rollout, combined with insufficient oversight, has created conditions conducive to corruption and inefficiency.
The government’s commitment to the initiative, a central campaign promise of President Prabowo, has also come at a broader fiscal cost. To fund the program, expenditures for education and infrastructure were initially cut, generating public discontent. Additionally, rising oil prices and fuel subsidies have strained the country’s public finances. Indonesia’s fiscal deficit reached 2.92 percent of GDP last year, approaching the legal limit of 3 percent.
As challenges mount, the free school meals program faces an uncertain future. Authorities have begun to implement reforms, but significant hurdles remain in restoring public confidence and ensuring the program effectively addresses Indonesia’s malnutrition crisis.