IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FREE NUTRITIOUS MEAL PROGRAM (MBG) POLICY IN BIAK NUMFOR REGENCY

Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17556082 124 ISRG PUBLISHERS Abbreviated Key Title: ISRG J Arts Humanit Soc Sci ISSN: 2583-7672 (Online) Journal homepage: https://isrgpublishers.com/isrgjahss Volume – III Issue -VI (November-December) 2025 Frequency: Bimonthly IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FREE NUTRITIOUS MEAL PROGRAM (MBG) POLICY IN BIAK NUMFOR REGENCY Daud Farwas1*, Eko Widiyarto2, John Joseph Sobuber3, Kamaruddin4, Melita Pademme5, Maharini Sinatra6, Yunita M. Mansnembra7, Hermanu Iriawan8 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 Master's Graduate Program in Public Administration, IISIP YAPIS Biak, Indonesia. | Received: 03.11.2025 | Accepted: 06.11.2025 | Published: 08.11.2025 *Corresponding author: Daud Farwas Master's Graduate Program in Public Administration, IISIP YAPIS Biak, Indonesia. Abstract This study aims to analyze the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) policy in Biak Numfor Regency as one of President Prabowo Subianto's national priority programs which aims to overcome malnutrition and stunting problems, as well as improve the quality of human resources through the fulfillment of nutrition of school children. This research uses a descriptive qualitative approach with secondary data sources and field data obtained through interviews, observations, and documentation. Data analysis was carried out using the Miles and Huberman interactive model. The results of the study show that the implementation of the MBG program in Biak Numfor Regency has not been fully optimal. Of the total target of 52,120 beneficiaries, only 11.01% have been realized until September 2025. The main obstacle lies in the absence of regional regulations that specifically regulate the implementation of MBG and weak governance and coordination between agencies. However, this program has a positive impact on reducing the potential for stunting and improving the local economy through the empowerment of farmers, fishermen, and MSMEs. In terms of governance, local governments need to strengthen regulations, sanitation, and monitoring and evaluation systems so that programs run more effectively, transparently, and accountably. This study recommends the preparation of regional regulations and the optimization of synergy between actors as an effort to strengthen the sustainability of the MBG program in Biak Numfor Regency. Keywords: Implementation, Policy, Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG). Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17556082 125 INTRODUCTION The Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) is a priority program of President Prabowo Subianto that aims to overcome the problem of malnutrition and stunting, especially in children, as well as support children's growth and development and the quality of education. This program also aims to drive the local economy by involving MSMEs and farmers in the provision of food raw materials. However, the implementation of MBG in the field has faced highlights and challenges, including cases of mass poisoning that occurred in several areas. This program targets school children who are early childhood education students to high school/vocational school, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers. The program, which is a priority of President Prabowo Subianto, will start gradually starting from January 6, 2025 in various regions in 38 provinces in Indonesia, with the aim of providing balanced nutritious food to school students from PAUD to high school/vocational school, both in public and private schools. The Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program is a strategic policy in improving the quality of health of school children and supporting the sustainability of education. The urgency of this program lies in its role in overcoming nutritional inequality, increasing concentration, and reducing school dropout rates due to limited access to nutritious food Nutritious feeding programmes for school children have been implemented in a number of countries. In fact, in 2022, this program has reached nearly 418 million children in various parts of the world. The provision of nutritious meals for schoolchildren in the United States is known as the National School Lunch Program. In India, a similar program is known as The Mid-Day Meal Scheme, while in Africa it is known as Homegrown School Feeding. Based on a World Bank study in 2024, nutritious feeding can increase attendance rates, participation rates, and reduce malnutrition or stunting. In some developed countries, studies show that nutritious feeding can also control diet, thereby reducing the risk of obesity and diabetes early on for school-age children. In African countries, referring to United Nations World Food Programme data in 2021, nutritious eating programs there are able to expand opportunities for local farmers, boost rural/populist economies, strengthen food security, and reduce supply chains and carbon emissions. The health and intelligence of human resources (HR) is the main capital for the progress of a nation. However, Indonesia still faces serious challenges related to nutrition problems, such as cases of stunting (dwarfism), malnutrition, and anemia, especially among children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers. Research also shows that many school children in Indonesia do not have adequate access to a balanced nutritious food menu, especially in densely populated areas. To overcome this nutritional problem, the Government of Indonesia launched the Free Nutritious Eating Program (MBG) which is one of the flagship programs of the elected President and Vice President. This program is part of the government's efforts to create a healthy, intelligent, and productive generation, in accordance with the vision of a Golden Indonesia 2045. In Indonesia, the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) officially starts on January 6, 2025. The implementation is carried out in stages to cover all levels of education, starting from early childhood education to high school/equivalent in all districts/cities by considering fiscal sustainability. In its implementation, processed food ingredients also use local food sources. The concept of policy implementation is interpreted as a network between bureaucracy—market—society (iron triangle). Cultural values and lifestyle of the community (grassroot society in particular) often have a critical impact on policy implementation, for example, policy implementation affects bureaucracy and then affects the community market. To achieve a successful life of the policy, the bureaucracy responsible for its success must seriously pay attention to the demands of the people affected by the policy. There are several studies that discuss MBG, including: Maharani et al (Maharni, Namira, & Chairunnisa, 2024) wrote in their journal that the MBG program is a very progressive step that can foster social welfare for the community as a whole. One of the resulting social impacts is the decrease in hunger rates, especially for students and toddlers (Kiftiyah et al., 2025). The MBG program can provide nutritional intake to children which results in improved health and academic performance. This program is one of the proactive steps in overcoming hunger, especially among students and vulnerable groups (Sembiring et al., 2025). The implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) was also held in the Biak Numfor Regency area. Biak Numfor Regency is located in Cenderawasih Bay at 0°21'-1°31' S, 134°47'- 136°48' E with an altitude of 0-1,000 meters above sea level. It is a cluster of islands located in the north of the mainland of Papua and directly opposite the Pacific Ocean. Biak Numfor Regency consists of 19 districts, 14 sub-districts, and 257 villages with an area of 2,602.00 km². Biak Numfor Regency has 375 schools and 297 Posyandu It is hoped that the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program in Biak Numfor Regency can run well, on target, and be effective and efficient in the use of the budget. There are a number of important aspects that are part of the implementation of the MBG program, which include the provision of nutritious food, nutrition education, monitoring and evaluation, cross-sector cooperation, and empowerment of local MSMEs. Based on the description above and several studies on MBG, the author will focus on the formulation of the problem, namely: How to Implement the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) Policy in Biak Numfor Regency. This research is expected to contribute as input in the implementation of the MBG program, so that the implementation of the MBG program is on target and can realize the vision of justice of the fifth precept of Pancasila. METHOD The method in this study uses a descriptive qualitative approach where the use of this approach is shown to explore relevant information related to the topic of MBG policy in more depth in the form of word narratives, not in the form of statistical calculations. The data source in this study is a secondary data source where the data needed in this study is sourced from various documents such as books, journal articles, documents and other relevant data, including the use of data sourced from the internet that refers to the web page of credible institutions or from accurate news, so that the data presentation in this study can be accounted for according to the real conditions in the field. Data were collected using interviews, observations, and documentation. Data analysis used Miles Huberman's interactive analysis (Shaleh, 2017). Implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17556082 126 Policy in Biak Numfor Regency which focuses on indicators a) Policy; b) Governance; and c) Budget. RESULTS OF RESEARCH AND DISCUSSION 1. Policy The National Nutrition Agency was formed based on Presidential Regulation Number 83 of 2024 to carry out services and fulfillment of national nutrition. Currently, the program that is intensively implemented is Free Nutritious Eating (MBG), with one of the targets including students in several selected schools in Indonesia. The target beneficiaries in Biak Numfor Regency are: 391 kindergarten students, 40,520 elementary school students, 2,886 junior high school students, 6,174 high school students, 2,149 vocational schools, with a total of 52,120 beneficiaries. Until September 2025, the total number of beneficiaries in Biak Numfor Regency is 5,743 people out of a total target of 52,120 people. The new target was achieved at 11.01% (Data from the Regional Government of Biak Numfor Regency in the Implementation of MBG in Biak Numfor Regency). It is known that as of April 2025 there is still no written regulation that specifically regulates the implementation of Free Nutritious Meals in Biak Numfor Regency. However, in an in-depth interview with the Head of the Biak Numfor Regency Education Office, Kamaruddin, gave an explanation that: "......There is still no special policy in the form of written regulations from schools regarding the implementation of Free Nutritious Meals (MBG), but so far we still emphasize the role of teachers to support this program, such as providing understanding and support for students to spend food rations without leftovers, providing explanations related to the benefits of the food obtained, getting used to praying and washing hands before eating, and eat in an orderly manner. On the other hand, to support children's nutritional adequacy, but schools also play a role in instilling discipline, cleanliness, and healthy eating habits in students". (Interview results 04/10/2025). The positive impacts of the Implementation of the Free Nutritious Food Program (MBG) in Biak Numfor Regency are: a) Health Sector: The MBG program has the potential to reduce stunting and anemia rates in students. b) Economy: MBG policies can have a positive impact on the welfare of farmers, ranchers, fishermen and traders through increased demand for local foodstuffs. Public policy according to Thomas R. Dye (1992:2) "whatever governments choose to do or not to do". Public policy is whatever the government chooses to do or not do something (Prabawati et al., n.d.). A pluralistic Indonesian state urgently needs diverse theoretical tools related to the formulation of government policies and programs in social and political welfare (Pradana, 2020). It can be seen that the MBG program is one of the efforts to modernize the education system through improving social welfare in Indonesia. This is considered the adoption of government policies inspired by several other developed countries with the aim of improving social welfare (Rahmawati, Prasetyo, & Ramdhani, 2024). The free nutritious meal (MBG) program certainly brings a new direction for Indonesia to gain an interest, the main and first of the programs brought by President Prabowo-Gibran is to improve national nutrition. Free nutritious feeding or MBG is a way for the government to end poverty, hunger, and clearly cut the chains and improve the nutrition of children, especially those from poor and vulnerable families. The MBG policy is being implemented by the Government in various regions, even though it does not cover all children in all regions of Indonesia, but the implementation of this MBG policy can generally be carried out. The government has an important role in the implementation of the MBG policy where the strategic policies taken by the government starting from planning to budgeting will determine the success of the MBG policy (Aji, 2025; Saptati, 2025). Local governments as institutions at the local level also have an important role in supporting the implementation of MBG, local governments must be able to ensure the identification of free nutritious food needs in their respective areas and be able to ensure the distribution of nutritious food evenly and on target. Support from community elements is also a part that must be considered and is a determining factor in the implementation of MBG (Ministry of State Secretariat, 2025; Ulya & Prabowo, 2025). 2. Governance To find out the technical implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) policy, the researcher conducted an interview with the manager of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program in Biak Numfor Regency and made observations related to the governance of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program. The government continues to evaluate and strengthen the governance of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program as a whole. Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said that the implementation of this program is a serious concern for President Prabowo Subianto. "The President from yesterday did give very detailed instructions and even very technical. For example, regarding procedural discipline issues, especially hygiene issues," said the Minister of Internal Affairs after attending a limited meeting (ratas) chaired by President Prabowo, in Jakarta, Sunday (28/09/2025). Six Strategic Steps of the Government to Strengthen MBG Governance | State Secretariat accessed (25/10/2025). In the implementation of Free Nutritious Eating (MBG), of course, good governance is needed to achieve goals. In (Nurhidayat, 2023), the concept of good governance can be realized through initiatives that aim to create synergy between civil society, the public sector, and the private sector in the management of natural resources, the economy, the environment, and society. Governance refers to all governance processes, institutions, processes, and practices that are the basis for deciding and regulating issues of mutual concern. Good governance adds normative or evaluative attributes to governance processes (OHCHR, n.d.). The governance of Free Nutritious Eating (MBG) by the government is in line with the theory of public management put forward by Keban Dalam (Iwan, 2012), Public management is an interdisciplinary scientific field that handles general aspects of the organization. It is a combination of management functions such as planning, organizing, and control on the one hand, and the management of human resources, finance, physical, information, and politics on the other. (Iwan, 2012). The Biak Numfor Regency Government in implementing the instructions according to the Copyright © ISRG Publishers. All rights Reserved. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17556082 127 previous direction, the Coordinating Minister for Food in his press statement conveyed a number of steps taken by the government to strengthen MBG governance. These steps are: a) Temporarily close the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) that is indicated to be problematic to be thoroughly evaluated and investigated. Evaluations were carried out, among other things, on the discipline, quality, and ability of cooks throughout the SPPG. b) Requiring SPPG to sterilize all cutlery. c) Require SPPG to improve sanitation processes, especially related to water quality and waste management. d) Requiring every SPPG to have a Certificate of Sanitation Hygiene Suitability (SLHS) as an absolute requirement, no longer just administrative. e) Optimizing the role of health centers and school health businesses in conducting routine and periodic monitoring of the implementation of MBG in the regions. f) Ensure that all relevant ministries/institutions, local governments, and other stakeholders play an active role in the repair process. 3. Budget In accordance with the Technical and Operational Guidelines for the Free Nutritious Meal Program prepared by the Deputy for National Nutrition Systems and Governance in 2024, in Service Units located in 38 provinces throughout Indonesia, using a budget from the Ministry of Finance through BA 128 of the National Nutrition Agency. Contained in (Asmini, 2024) the price per portion of the dish is an optimal amount of Rp. 15,000.00 and the components distributed are a complete cooking menu package that meets nutritional standards with 20-25% Daily AKG for the group of 13rd grade elementary students and 30-35% Daily AKG for the group of students in grades 4-6 of elementary school. The implementation of the Free Nutritious Eating (MBG) policy regulated in Presidential Regulation Number 83 of 2024 concerning the National Nutrition Agency certainly requires significant and structured budget support. This policy aims to provide free nutritious food for students throughout Indonesia. In this context, budget allocation is a strategic instrument for the state to ensure the sustainability of programs, food procurement, distribution, and nutrition quality monitoring. Proper and accountable budget management is not only the administrative basis, but also the determinant of the success of policy implementation in the field. According to George J. Keban (2004:85), one of the important aspects of public management is the management of financial resources. Within the framework of this theory, the budget is not only seen as an administrative technical instrument, but also as part of a managerial strategy to achieve the effectiveness of public policies. In the context of the MBG policy, financial resources play a key role as the main driver that allows the implementation of the program to run according to the target, both in terms of the number of beneficiaries, the quality of nutrition provided, and the effectiveness of distribution. Budgets managed with the principles of efficiency, effectiveness, and accountability are tangible forms of responsive and results-oriented public management. The Free Lunch Program or "Free Nutritious Meals" (MBG) launched by the Prabowo-Gibran couple has been officially discussed in the 2025 budget planning. At the time of writing, the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu), the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs (Kemenko) and the Prabowo-Gibran transition team set the amount of the MBG budget at Rp 71 trillion in the first phase in 2025. This amount is considered to have taken into account the fiscal deficit target of 2.29% - 2.82% (PrabowoGibran, 2023; BBC Indonesia, 2024). The complexity and size of the MBG budget require good governance so that the planning process to its implementation can be carried out in a transparent and accountable manner. The planning and governance of the MBG program needs to prioritize a Whole-of-Government and Whole-of-Society approach that involves cross-actors and multi-sectors actively and participatively in order to increase the efficiency and harmonization of programs (WHO, 2016). CONCLUSION Efforts to build the quality of Indonesian human resources in a better direction must continue to be carried out, this is an effort to build an Indonesian nation that not only has superior quality human resources, but is also competitive. The policy of nutritious feeding as one of the efforts to build the quality of human resources starting from children needs to be supported. The Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program or Free Meal or Free Lunch which is currently being implemented in Indonesia and is one of the main priority programs of the president and vice president PrabowoGibran certainly cannot be said to be bad ideal, let alone good ideal. There is always criticism and admiration for the program that is raised. The implementation of the Free Nutritious Meal Program (MBG) Policy in Biak Numfor Regency has been carried out since the beginning of 2025, with the aim of meeting the daily nutritional needs of students and improving human resources, especially for those from low socioeconomic backgrounds. Although there are no specific written regulations regarding the implementation of MBG, the school has made efforts to support this program through the active role of teachers and managers. The contribution / recommendation given by the author is the government, which in this case is the Regional Government of Biak Numfor Regency and related agencies, in this case the Biak Numfor Regency Education Office and the Biak Numfor Regency Health Office, to prepare a policy in the form of written regulations that specifically regulate the implementation of Free Nutritious Meals (MBG), so that it is better in the future divided into 4 (four) main aspects, namely the regulatory aspect, implementation aspect, monitoring and evaluation aspect, and community aspect. REFERENCE 1. Kiftiyah, A., Palestina, F. A., Abshar, F. U., & Rofiah, K. (2025). Program Makan Bergizi Gratis (MBG) dalam Perspektif Keadilan Sosial dan Dinamika Sosial – Politik. Pancasila: Jurnal Keindonesiaan, 05(1), 101–112 2. Muhsidi. (2025, 7 oktober.) Pemkab Baik Numfor Sebut Pemenuhan Gizi Anak Jadi Perhatian Pemda. 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