TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The head of the National Nutrition Agency, Dadan Hindayana, said the free nutritious meal program will proceed as normal in a number of regions during Ramadan that will start on March 1, 2025. The program implementation is subject to adjustments based on the condition in each region.

The free meal program will be differentiated between the Muslim-majority regions and regions where the majority of the people do not fast. In Muslim-majority regions, students are allowed to take the foods home to eat while breaking their fast, but the program will proceed as normal in schools where the majority of the population does not practice Islam.

"In the regions where the majority do not fast, they are welcome to consume (the free nutritious meals),” said Dadan at Halim Perdanakusuma Air Base, East Jakarta, on Friday, February 28, 2025.

The agency will monitor the program implementation where the majority of the population does not participate in fasting for a week and determine whether to continue the free meal program as normal after that.

Dadan said the agency will provide dates to be taken home and eaten while the students are breaking their fast. "But for regions where the people don’t fast, we will likely forgo the dates and proceed with regular menus,” he said.

The BGN head previously announced the new scheme for free nutritious meal program implementation during Ramadan.

“The children will go to school and bring home meals that can last until it’s time for Muslims to break fast,” said Dadan on Monday night on February 3, adding that all schoolchildren will still receive free nutritious meals, albeit with different distribution patterns.

One of the adjustments to make is providing meals to take home. “For children who do not fast, they are encouraged to eat at home and not at school to respect those who fast,” said Dadan.

Dadan claims that as of February 3, the free nutritious meal program has served over 730,000 people, with 425 public kitchen units operable across 34 provinces in Indonesia. The program has reached 0.8 percent of the 82.9 million target recipients and will reach 1.5 percent by mid-February.

“Don’t worry about missing out on the meals, as we have only reached 0.8 percent of the target,” said Dadan.

Dian Rahma Fika contributed to this article.

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