BGN Unveils 6mn Free Meal Target Duplicates: Why This Happens

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sudaryono, Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), revealed the existence of 6 million duplicate entries of free nutritious meals' beneficiaries. This was discovered after BGN conducted a data review to refocus the program's target beneficiaries."If I recall correctly, there are 6 million [duplicate beneficiaries]. We are still combing through the data," said Sudaryono following an inter-ministerial coordination meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Food Affairs in Jakarta on Thursday, August 6, 2026.According to Sudaryono, one instance of data duplication occurs when a student from an Islamic junior high school (locally known as madrasah tsanawiyah) is listed as a beneficiary by two ministries simultaneously: the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.The Gerindra Party politician said BGN is striving to synchronize the data with relevant ministries and agencies to ensure each beneficiary is listed only once. "We are communicating with one another to ensure there are absolutely no duplicate identities. We must prevent any duplication," he said.Previously, the BGN frequently highlighted the high number of MBG program beneficiaries. As of March 8, 2026, the BGN recorded a total of 61 million beneficiaries. Of this figure, approximately 49 million were school students, while the remainder consisted of pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers.Following a leadership overhaul at the agency prompted by a corruption scandal involving free nutritious meal program governance, the government plans to reorganize the beneficiary targets by reducing the number of those enjoying the program.BGN Deputy Head Agustina Arumsari said in June that the measure is undertaken to ensure the program reaches the appropriate targets. Read: Education Ministry: MBG Paper Listed Several Names Without ConsentClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News