Budi Supriyatno : The Implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Program Needs to be Evaluated and Improved

Prof. Dr. Budi Supriyatno took a photo with his friends Dr. Mulyono D Prawiro and Dr. Murdiyono, before holding the Open Doctoral Promotion Session at Satyagama University.

GEMARI.ID-JAKARTA. Last month, Prof. Dr. Budi Supriyatno, MM, MSi, a professor at Satyagama University Jakarta, explained to the gemari.id team the controversy surrounding President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program, the Free Nutritious Meals (MGB). This has recently received significant public attention, particularly following reports in various media outlets that many students in rural areas were affected by food poisoning from consuming Free Nutritious Meals. Tuesday (September 23, 2025)

Prof. Budi explained, In principle, I see the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Program as excellent, as it is President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program. President Prabowo wants a bright future for Indonesian children. Therefore, their food intake must be nutritious, and in the future, Indonesia will have great human resources. According to him, implementation in the field has indeed faced obstacles, such as the occurrence of children being poisoned. Therefore, the government, particularly the Head of the National Nutrition Board, needs to evaluate and improve this issue. This issue can be resolved effectively and hopefully, improvements can be made, he said.

As a Professor of Government Science, Prof. Budi urged the government, particularly the Head of the National Nutrition Board, who specifically handles this program, to evaluate it so that the program, which is a mainstay of President Prabowo Subianto, can be improved. The issue of children being poisoned has become a topic of online news, causing a lot of commotion, as if there has been a fatal error. However, out of millions of children, this is only a small number, less than half a percent. The government must make improvements and evaluate it, all the way through to implementation in the field, he explained.

Prof. Budi also appealed to the public, this MBG is President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program, I hope the public will remain calm and avoid being influenced by fake news or hoaxes, which could cause problems with the Free Nutritious Meal Program. Prof. Budi firmly stated that this poisoning is only a minor issue. I believe President Prabowo will instruct all field implementers to ensure the smooth implementation of the MGB program.

As a Professor at Satyagama University, Prof. Budi hopes that the Free Nutritious Meal Program will continue. This MBG program will produce superior quality Indonesian children, who will become great human beings, welcoming the golden generation of 2045, he hopes. @mulyono_dp