Jakarta, Feb. 6 -- The Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program has reduced the spending burden of Indonesian households, according to the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana, backed by a Statistics Indonesia (BPS) survey.

"When children receive nutritious meals at school, the burden on parents to prepare lunches and meet daily food needs is automatically lower," he remarked in Jakarta on Friday.

He conveyed the statement based on a BPS baseline survey of 81,100 households across Indonesia, which found that the majority of MBG beneficiaries found it easier to access healthy food, spent less time preparing meals, and adopted healthier eating habits, particularly in rural areas.

"The MBG program is designed not only to...