Standing observatory · founded under AGA · est. 2026
Indonesia's Makan Bergizi Gratis — Free Nutritious Meals — is one of the largest school-feeding undertakings ever attempted. MBG Watch tracks whether it is actually feeding children and spending public money well. We do not argue for the program or against it. We name what to keep, what to fix, and — only if the evidence demands it — when to pause.
MBG Watch is an organization founded for a single cause: continuous, evidence-based accountability for the Free Nutritious Meals program. We monitor government sources, civil-society reports, media, and field observation, and we maintain a running record of what the program is delivering relative to its costs and its harms.
We are deliberately not an advocate. A program this large will have parts that work and parts that fail at the same time. Our job is to hold both in view honestly — to be specific about what is improving, plain about what is not, and clear about what remains genuinely unknown.
We illuminate so that decisions can be made in service of children's wellbeing and responsible stewardship of public resources — not in service of politics.
A standing fleet, each part doing one thing well. Everything we publish passes a human review before it reaches the public.
Continuously tracks MBG data from government releases, civil-society reports, media, and field observation — rollout statistics, food-safety incidents, budget execution, governance indicators, equity of access. Keeps a running evidence log and flags significant changes and emerging patterns as they appear.
Evaluates whether the program is delivering its stated goals — better nutrition, school attendance, equitable access — relative to its documented costs and harms. Names what is working, what is failing, and what is still unknown, and weighs the tradeoffs honestly.
Translates the findings into clear briefings — in Bahasa Indonesia and English — for the families fed by the program, the taxpayers funding it, the educators living it, and the officials answering for it. Plain language, no sensationalism.
Gather from official data, reporting, and the field — continuously, not on a news cycle.
Cross-check claims against primary sources. Separate what the evidence supports from what it doesn't.
Weigh outcomes against costs and harms. State confidence plainly; name the unknowns.
A briefing, in both languages — only after it clears a human review at the gate.
Every briefing below has cleared human review. This is the organization's record — it grows as the evidence does.
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If you are a parent, teacher, kitchen worker, supplier, or official with something to report — a meal that wasn't served, an illness, a number that doesn't add up — send it here. We read every message.
You will hear back from us, personally — a reply in our own voice, or an invitation to a live conversation if that's the right way to continue.