Indonesia’s new government has taken strides to start a new free meal plan to combat malnutrition by feeding 90 million children and pregnant women in the country. According to a 2023 Indonesian Health Survey, the national stunting rate dropped to 21.5%, a 0.8% decrease from the previous year. UNICEF estimates that one in 12 Indonesian children under five is underweight, and one in five is shorter than average, both due to malnourishment. To address this, President Prabowo has pledged free school lunches and milk for 83 million students at over 400,000 schools as part of a long-term plan to build a “Golden Indonesia” generation by 2045. His program is projected to cost 450 trillion rupiah (US$ 28 billion) by 2029 and to reach 82.9 million students by 2029 in efforts to counter malnutrition.
One in five children under the age of five are considered too small for their age due to poor nutrition. President Prabowo has argued that this program will counter malnutrition, especially with the food being provided for them, such as chicken, tofu, beans, rice, vegetables, fruit, and fresh milk. Indonesia has imported dairy cows from Australia to boost the milk production in the country and to combat a heavy reliance on imports.
