The Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG) has not only provided nutritional benefits for students, pregnant women, and toddlers but has also made a significant economic impact. The program has created employment opportunities for 94,000 individuals in 2,391 Nutritional Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs) nationwide within just seven months. As the number of SPPG units expanded across different regions, the employment figures also increased significantly. The budget absorption has shown a parallel increase, starting from IDR 1–2 trillion disbursed in the initial phase from January to April, growing to IDR 4.4 trillion by early June, and reaching IDR 5.1 trillion by the end of the first semester of 2025, amounting to 7.1% of the total allocated budget.
Fithra Faisal, Senior Advisor at the Presidential Communication Office (PCO), stated that the MBG program has had a positive impact on the real economy, especially in terms of job creation. The program is creating new economic opportunities for local communities and is expected to accelerate job creation in the second half of the year as budget disbursement increases with the establishment of more SPPGs and serving more beneficiaries. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) predicts that by August, the MBG Program will reach 20 million beneficiaries through 8,000 operational SPPG units, with an estimated total budget absorption of IDR 8 trillion.
In order to promote workforce inclusion, BGN plans to hire SPPG kitchen staff from families in extreme poverty and lower-income groups, with a minimum of 30% of the 47 staff members per SPPG coming from economically vulnerable households. This initiative aims to reduce extreme poverty while strengthening the program’s operational capacity, particularly in logistics and management, empowering low-income communities in the process.
