Photo from setneg.go.id
In January 2025, the Prabowo government launched the Free Nutritious Meals (Makan Bergizi Gratis, MBG) program, a universal national program for school aged children, pre-schoolers, babies and pregnant women. The multi-billion dollar program was a key campaign promise and pillar of the Golden Indonesia 2045 mission pledge to build a healthier, stronger and smarter Indonesia. From the beginning, however, there were concerns about the massive scale of the rollout, its ill-preparedness and lack of scientific foundation.
In the ten months since, more than 11,000 students and school staff have suffered food poisoning, including many severe cases. In some instances, hundreds of children have fallen ill simultaneously, pushing local hospitals and health care infrastructure to the limit and seriously impacting the lives on its mostly young, victims. In response to calls from anxious parents and public health experts to pause and review the program, the government (and Prabowo himself), have sought to reassure parents and the public-at-large that corrections have been made, and that the program is safe.
What are the aims of this program and where does it fit within Indonesia’s broader public health framework? What are the reasons for its failures until now, and what needs to be done to make sure it does no further harm?
In this week’s episode, Jemma chats with Irma Hidayana, a public health consultant and activist. Her work focuses on the impact of the baby food industry on health, conflicts of interest in public health, and the intersection of public health and human rights. She holds a doctorate in Health Education and Behavior Studies from Columbia University, United States, and currently teaches in the Department of Population Health at Hofstra University, New York. Irma is the founder of PelanggaranKode.org, an Indonesia-based platform monitoring violations of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, and LaporSehat (formerly LaporCOVID), as well as a co-initiator of MBG Watch, an advocacy network promoting accountability in the Free Nutritious Meals program.
In 2025, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from the Australia-Indonesia Centre, Dr Elisabeth Kramer from the University of New South Wales, Tito Ambyo from RMIT, D , Dr. Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, and Dr Clara Siagian from the University of College London.
