Antara News·Indonesia·Thursday, September 24, 2026 at 12:48 PM

Indonesia looks to Japan's best practices to bolster free meal program

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Lintang Budiyanti, Raka Adji

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) is strengthening the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program by learning from international best practices, including Japan's school lunch program.

BGN Head Sudaryono said during a meeting with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Indonesia Office in Jakarta on Wednesday (September 23) that the agency continues to expand its learning from other countries' experiences in delivering school meal programs.

"We are studying what insights we can gain, ranging from execution and handling to the roles of each stakeholder," he said in an official statement on Thursday.

According to him, these lessons extend beyond meal management to encompass governance and the engagement of various stakeholders within the program's ecosystem.

BGN is also looking into the roles played by schools, teachers, principals, students, and parents in sustaining Japan's school lunch program.

Cooperation between Indonesia and JICA regarding school meal programs has been in place since 2024 and will continue, including through sending trainees to Japan to gain first-hand experience in running free meal initiatives for students.

During the meeting, BGN also studied the various meal service models used in Japan.

He explained that Japan's school lunch program does not rely solely on cooking on-site. Alongside school-based kitchens, Japan also utilizes a central kitchen model, where meals are prepared at a centralized facility before being transported to schools for distribution to students.

"This provides a new insight for us. Perhaps we can take similar steps, tailored as needed for our MBG program execution," he said.

Sudaryono emphasized that his agency is open to learning from the experiences and innovations of various countries that run similar programs to strengthen the free meal initiative.

"We must not close our eyes to innovation and best practice experiences from various parties, including other countries such as Japan, India, Brazil, and many others," he said.

Targeting millions of beneficiaries nationwide, the MBG program was launched in early 2025 as a key program of the Prabowo Subianto administration to improve the nutritional status of toddlers, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and school-age children.

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