Key facts
- Indonesia's free meal program will be refocused on recipients in remote areas.
- The program's budget was reduced to 268 trillion rupiah ($14.87 billion) from 335 trillion rupiah.
- The agency's former chief was arrested for alleged corruption.
- The program aims to provide free meals to 83 million children and pregnant women.
- The agency is exploring alternative funding sources like grants and CSR programs.
The Indonesian agency overseeing President Prabowo Subianto's free meals program will refocus its measures by cutting back on new kitchens and targeting recipients in more remote areas, according to Nanik Sudaryati Deyang, the new chief of the National Nutrition Agency. This comes after the program's allocation for this year was slashed to 268 trillion rupiah ($14.87 billion) from an initial 335 trillion rupiah. Nanik's predecessor, Dadan Hindayana, was arrested on corruption charges and subsequently sacked by Prabowo. The ambitious free meals program, a key part of Prabowo's presidential campaign, had budgeted at least $15 billion to provide free meals to 83 million children and pregnant women. Nanik stated that the agency is not focused on hitting the 2026 target but on ensuring existing kitchens are up to code and healthy, and prioritizing recipients in remote areas. To ease budget pressures, the agency is considering alternative funding sources like grants or CSR programs from private companies. The program has faced scrutiny since its launch in January 2025 due to concerns about Prabowo's spending plans and potential fiscal deficit challenges, as well as links to food poisoning cases affecting thousands of children.