Indonesia Accelerates 13,000 Nutrition Program Sites, Prioritizing Stunting-Prone Regions

The Indonesian government is accelerating the arrangement and sustainability of over 13,000 service points for the Free Nutrition Program (MBG) across the country, with a particular focus on regions with high stunting rates. Coordinating Minister for Food Affairs (Menko Pangan) Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas) stated that priority regions such as Papua Pegunungan and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), which have high stunting rates, will receive intensive handling and are targeted for completion within one month. "We are dividing it into two. Stunting-prone underdeveloped regions are the top priority, for example, Papua Pegunungan and NTT. Well, we will finish this within a month," said Zulhas after leading a Ministerial Coordination Meeting on the Implementation of the MBG Program at the Ministry of Food Affairs Office, quoted on Thursday (30/7/2026). The rapid handling in stunting-prone areas is being carried out in parallel with improvements in other regions. While priority areas are targeted for completion in one month, the evaluation of service points in Java, Sumatra, and other frontier, remote, and underdeveloped (3T) areas will take up to two months. "Of the 13,000 points, a small portion that is very crucial, such as in high stunting areas in Papua Pegunungan, NTT, and others, we will complete in one month. The rest, spread across Java and Sumatra, we will study and complete within two months," he explained. In addition to accelerating development in stunting-prone areas, the Ministry of Food Affairs is also pursuing the issuance of Health and Sanitation Eligibility Certificates (SLHS) for 8,000 service points that have not yet obtained them, to guarantee the quality of food received by children. Zulhas emphasized that owning an SLHS is crucial to ensure that the food served not only meets the nutritional needs to prevent stunting but also guarantees health standards. "There are more than 8,000 service points that do not have SLHS in Java and Sumatra. We need two months to complete them," Zulhas said. Regarding the technical mechanism, Zulhas explained that the detailed scheme is being finalized with relevant ministries and agencies. "How it will be done, will be resolved within one to two months. So that there is no miscommunication, the scheme is being prepared," he concluded.