Indonesia Suspends School Nutrition Program Units During Break for Comprehensive Safety and Quality Review

The Indonesian government will temporarily suspend operations at all Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG) nutrition service units during the school holiday period to conduct a thorough evaluation of the Makan Bergizi Gratis (Free Nutritious Meal) program. Head of the Government Communications Agency (Badan Komunikasi Pemerintah) Muhammad Qodari announced the measure on 17 June 2026, stating that the extended school break provides adequate time and space for the National Nutrition Agency (Badan Gizi Nasional, BGN) to perform a comprehensive assessment across all kitchen facilities.

The evaluation will examine facility conditions, cooking processes, hygiene and health standards, and food quality at each SPPG unit. Based on assessment results, units will be classified into three performance grades: Grade A for high-performing units, Grade B for medium-performing units, and Grade C for underperforming units. Incentive payments will be differentiated according to these classifications, with higher-performing units receiving greater compensation. Qodari emphasized that these grading classifications will directly influence the level of incentives allocated to each unit.

Beyond the operational pause, the government has implemented broader governance reforms to strengthen the program's integrity and effectiveness. These measures include a moratorium on constructing new SPPG units and a recalculation of incentive structures based on verified beneficiary numbers and performance indicators such as food quality. The BGN will audit all Free Nutritious Meal kitchens during the school break and close any SPPG units that fail to meet operational standards or do not comply with standard operating procedures.

Following verification and correction of beneficiary data, the BGN will reallocate incentives to individual meal kitchens, with potential consolidation of some SPPG units as part of programme refocusing efforts. Qodari stated that incentive amounts will be adjusted according to the number of beneficiaries and other quality indicators. These comprehensive measures aim to enhance food safety standards, improve service quality, and strengthen governance of the national nutritional improvement programme, which serves schoolchildren, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children.