The flagship program of president-elect Prabowo Subianto and vice president-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka targets an estimated 82.9 million pupils, children under 5 as well as pregnant women across the country in its aim to curb the prevalence of childhood stunting in the country.

Despite some concerns about the program in terms of fiscal prudence, the 2025 state budget will likely give enough space for the incoming government to implement it. The five-year program will cost around US$7.7 billion in its initial year and increase to $28.41 billion by its full implementation in 2029.

While it is critical to tackle both childhood stunting and child wasting, implementing the free meal program might partly offer a sustainable solution to these multifaceted problems.

For the last decade, Indonesia has been struggling to reduce childhood stunting, referring to children who are too short for their age, and child wasting, which refers to children who are too thin for their age. UNICEF data show that one in 12 Indonesian children aged under 5 years are wasting, while one in five children have stunting.

Reducing childhood stunting and child wasting requires a well-structured and comprehensive effort that integrates multiple key elements, such as making improvements in socioeconomic, education and living conditions as well as strengthening the health system. More importantly, it requires sustainable and adequate financial resources and strong political commitment.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), childhood stunting and child wasting result from poor to chronic malnutrition in utero and poor nutrient intake in early childhood, as well as from various infections and disease.