Nine ways the UN supports the Free Nutritious Meals programme in Indonesia

Several countries have introduced programmes like the Free Nutritious Meals programme (MBG) launched in Indonesia in January. At the request of the Government, the United Nations in Indonesia is supporting these efforts, based on scientific research and international experience from around the world. 

This flagship programme of President Prabowo Subianto is designed to ensure access to balanced and healthy meals for school children, preschoolers, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, addressing the triple burden of malnutrition: undernutrition, overweight, and micronutrient deficiencies. Meals are distributed through schools, community centres and local health facilities.

“The UN in Indonesia stands fully behind the development priorities of the President and the Government, and support to the MGB has become a cornerstone of our cooperation framework,” said Gita Sabharwal, Resident Coordinator of the UN in Indonesia. 

As of May 2025, 1011 kitchens in 34 provinces provide meals to over 2 million beneficiaries. By the end of the year, the government plans to expand to 30,000 centralised kitchens, expected to provide food to up to 82.9 million people. By leveraging technology and partnerships with local farmers and suppliers, the programme aims to promote healthy eating habits while supporting the local economy.

How exactly does the UN in Indonesia support the Government of Indonesia in putting nutritious food on the table for those who need it most?

1. Scaling Up Nutrition

The Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement is a global initiative of 63 countries to address all forms of malnutrition through multi-sector collaborations. In Indonesia, the movement is led by the Ministry of National Development and Planning (Bappenas), bringing together different sectors. Within the sector of Donor & UN Country Network for Nutrition (DUNCNN), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) leads a coalition of 13 international partners* to strengthen nutrition efforts across the country by providing technical assistance such as evidence generation, standard-setting, and capacity building, to the programme.

2. Helping to set nutrition standards

The World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) play a key role in providing technical support and developing guidelines for the programme. 

As the Secretariat of the Global School Meals Coalition, WFP has supported Indonesia in becoming a member and in strengthening its positioning in regional and global forums. WFP is also exploring, together with the government, the use of AI-driven menu optimization that considers nutrition, sourcing, food availability and pricing. Meanwhile, UNICEF supported the development of a set of national guidelines and standards for the effective implementation of the MBG. UNICEF trains local kitchen teams on optimizing menus and strengthening supply chains, and works to standardize water and sanitation quality assurance in kitchens, ensuring safe and hygienic food preparation.

FAO, in the meantime, is conducting an analytical study to assess how current patterns of apparent food consumption align with Indonesia’s Food-Based Dietary Guidelines. Using household data, the study quantifies food group-level consumption gaps at national, provincial and household levels, disaggregated by income, geography and other factors. It also maps regional disparities to identify hotspots of underconsumption. The study will help improve the targeting and composition of MBG, identifying population groups and regions where school meal intervention is likely to have the greatest impact.

3. Optimizing reach

The UN is helping to find the best ways to get nutritious meals to children, no matter where they live. This includes testing and documenting multiple kitchen models, optimizing reach and supply chain efficiencies, and meal distribution methods, especially in remote areas. By supporting hands-on training, capturing lessons learned, and working to standardise quality assurance in kitchens, UNICEF and WFP help communities build a system that works best for them.

4. Nutrition education

Education is key to making this programme last. By providing comprehensive nutrition education to kitchen staff, teachers, parents, students, and the wider public, UNICEF helps build lifelong healthy habits–—encouraging better food choices, mindful eating and sustainable nutrition practices. UNICEF also partners with universities to bring balanced nutrition awareness to more people, ensuring that knowledge about healthy eating spreads beyond the classroom. When communities understand the value of good nutrition, they become active participants in creating a healthier future.

5. National Centre of Excellence

In February, Bappenas, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), IPB University and UNICEF launched the National Centre of Excellence for the MBG. The Centre focuses on teaching and training, research and innovation, knowledge management and policy development to support BGN in formulating policies, regulations and guidelines at both national and regional levels to enhance MBG programme coverage and quality. Additionally, the Centre will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating programme implementation to ensure its effectiveness.

6. Local farmers, local ingredients

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and FAO, in partnership with local communities, are connecting local producers and commodities with markets and building the capacity of rural communities to produce and process nutritious food for households, including through homestead gardening as well as cooking classes and shared breakfasts at elementary schools. UNICEF is supporting local authorities in Papua to provide nutritious and cost-efficient school meals, for Early Childhood Development and primary school students, using locally-sourced food and integrated essential nutrition services. WFP is supporting the linkages of smallholder farmers and other value chain actors, to MBG kitchens.

7. Food Waste Management

FAO is supporting the Government in the study of the circular economy concept for food waste management in the MBG programme, in line with the Roadmap and National Action Plan for Circular Economy. This study will formulate strategies for reducing and handling food waste from the MBG Programme by considering the principles of a circular economy.

8. Fortified foods

To alleviate micronutrient deficiencies, food fortification is a key part of the programme. With technical support from the UN, MBG uses fortified salt, wheat flour and cooking oil – all enriched with vitamins and minerals. WFP is supporting the government to integrate fortified rice in the national programme, including support to draft standards for fortified rice, a key pre-requisite for institutionalization. Through the Center of excellence, UNICEF is supporting a modelling of an integrated package of interventions including food system transformation to support the local economy.

9. Optimize targeting and resource allocation

UN Global Pulse developed a cutting-edge Decision Support System (DSS) for the Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) to optimize the MBG programme implementation planning. By integrating official and non-conventional data sources, the DSS ensures precise targeting, efficient resource allocation, and effective programme implementation.

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Note:

*DUNCNN members consist of 13 donors and UN agencies:

1. United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (Lead)
2. World Bank (Co-Lead)
3. World Health Organization (WHO)
4. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
5. World Food Programme (WFP)
6. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) – Australia.
7. United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
8. Global Affairs Canada
9. International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)
10. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
11. Tanoto Foundation
12. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
13. Asian Development Bank (ADB)