Jakarta. The government officially launched the free nutritious meal program on Monday, targeting students, toddlers, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers.

Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan, a spokesman for the National Nutrition Agency, said the initial meal distribution phase will focus on school students throughout this month.

A total of 190 public kitchens, also known as the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units, are ready to operate in 26 out of 38 provinces across Indonesia.

The government expects to add the number of public kitchens to reach 937 in January, said Hasan Nasbi, a spokesman for the presidential office. By the end of 2025, there will be 5,000 kitchens serving 20 million beneficiaries, he said. 

The initial phase of implementation will cover provinces including Aceh, Bali, West Sumatra, North Sumatra, Riau Islands, Riau, Lampung, Banten, West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta Special Region, and Gorontalo.

Additionally, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, North Sulawesi, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Maluku, North Maluku, East Nusa Tenggara, as well as West Papua and South Papua.

This program involves collaborations among the National Population and Family Planning Ministry, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency, the Rural and Underdeveloped Area Development Ministry, and the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).