Jakarta: The Indonesian government has launched an ambitious free meal programme to combat malnutrition and promote healthy eating among students in underserved communities in the country.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the ‘Free Nutritious Meal Programme’, a centerpiece of President Prabowo Subianto’s election campaign that propelled him to power in 2024, aims to reach more than 82 million students and pregnant mothers across Indonesia in five years.
A statement from the Presidential Communication Office Spokesperson, Philips Vermonte, highlighted that the initiative was a first of its kind. “For the first time in the history of independent Indonesia, a universal government-subsidised programme will provide millions of our students with rich nutritious meals,” Vermonte stated. He emphasized that these meals are prepared with high standards of hygiene and are ready to be served to children in schools across the largest archipelagic nation in the world.
Vermonte noted that the Indonesian education system is the fourth largest globally, with more than 60 million students studying in over 400,000 schools. The programme’s key features include high-quality, balanced meals prepared with locally sourced ingredients to ensure freshness, along with central kitchens to streamline meal distribution.
The programme has received strong endorsements from United Nations agencies, including the World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).