BGN Cracks Down on Broker Foundations: They Don't Manage Kitchens or Fund Them, Yet Ask for a Share

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Sudaryono, the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), stated that they will continue to take action against foundations involved in the Free Nutritious Meals program (MBG) that lack a legitimate role.

Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas), disclosed that these foundations often collude with certain individuals within BGN.

"We are working to accommodate previous practices where some foundations, unfortunately, had no genuine involvement, and we are striving to clean that up," said Sudaryono during the MBG meeting at the Coordinating Ministry for Food on Monday (19/10/2026).

"In the past, foundations were established, points were designated, and this ultimately led to collusion. That is what we are cleaning up, referred to as SPS2. Such practices cannot continue; they must be completely eradicated. If there are intentional misdeeds, it is evident, and we will address them accordingly," Zulhas added.

After the meeting, Sudaryono pointed out that the foundations being addressed are those acting as brokers.

He noted that these individuals, although running numerous foundations, do not have any actual funding.

"What I mean by cleaning up is targeting those broker-like foundations. You understand my point, right? The broker foundations. They create many foundations without having any money," explained Sudaryono.

Sudaryono mentioned that these broker foundations collaborate with certain individuals at BGN to propose locations for MBG kitchens.

"So, what do they do? Since they are working with individuals from the previous administration at BGN, they set up locations and instruct people to construct them," he explained.

Once the MBG kitchens are built, Sudaryono stated that these brokers request a fee of Rp 1,000 per serving.

"After the kitchens are operational, they demand, 'Hey, for each serving, I need Rp 500 or Rp 1,000.' They contribute nothing; they do not manage the kitchen, participate in the construction, or provide funding; they simply benefit because they have a foundation listed with BGN," asserted Sudaryono.

"This is what we consider unfair, as it adds unnecessary rent. Do you understand? When you increase rent, it means that what should be a profit of Rp 2,000 is reduced by Rp 1,000 to someone who has no role at all. This inevitably lowers the quality of food served. That is why I want to clean up the broker-like foundations," he added.