34.1pc of Indonesians want free nutritious meal program to be stopped

JAKARTA, Indonesia (MNTV) – The Indikator Politik Indonesian Survey Agency has reported that 34.1 percent  of people demand the shutdown of the free nutritious meal (MBG) program while 61pc want the program to continue, reports Tempo.

“Meanwhile, 4.9 percent did not respond,” said Founder and Chief Researcher of Indikator Politik Indonesia, Burhanuddin Muhtadi.

The survey, conducted to evaluate the first year of the President Prabowo and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka government, took place from October 20 to 27, 2025.

The survey sample was drawn using the multistage random sampling method. A total of 1,220 people from various provinces participated in the survey. 

There are several reasons why the public demands the discontinuation of MBG, including the high number of poisoning cases (33.4pc), the possibility of reallocating the budget to other programs (9.7pc), and the option to receive cash (9.2pc).

Meanwhile, the top three reasons MBG should continue are alleviating the burden on parents (13.3pc), overall program effectiveness (13.0pc), and ensuring children receive good nutrition (11.3pc). 

Previously, the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) reported an increase in the number of poisoning cases from MBG. “The number of victims as of October 19, 2025, reached 13,168 children,” said the National Coordinator of JPPI, Ubaid Matraji, in a written statement last month. 

Ubaid mentioned that the highest number of MBG poisoning cases occurred in West Java with 549 victims, followed by Yogyakarta with 491 victims, and Central Java with 270 victims.

“Furthermore, North Sumatra with 99 victims and West Nusa Tenggara with 84 victims,” said Ubaid.