The Urgency of Strengthening the Legal Foundation of the Free Nutritious Meal Program: Legal Certainty and Governance Perspectives

The Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Program is a strategic government policy aimed at improving nutritional quality, particularly among children and vulnerable groups, while strengthening family resilience. However, its implementation requires a strong legal foundation to ensure legal certainty, effective governance, and program sustainability. This study aims to analyze the urgency of establishing a legal basis for the implementation of the MBG Program. The research employs a normative legal method using a statutory approach and a conceptual approach. Legal materials were collected through a literature review, covering relevant legislation and scientific literature, and analyzed using a descriptive qualitative method. The findings indicate that a legal foundation plays a crucial role in legitimizing government policy, ensuring legal certainty, clarifying the division of authority among institutions, and strengthening transparency and accountability in the use of state funds. Presidential Regulation No. 83 of 2024 concerning the National Nutrition Agency provides the institutional foundation, while Presidential Regulation No. 115 of 2025 concerning the Governance of the Free Nutritious Meals Program regulates its implementation. Furthermore, a clear legal framework is essential to protecting the public's right to adequate health and nutrition and minimizing the risks of budgetary irregularities and inaccurate beneficiary targeting. Therefore, regulatory harmonization, the development of technical regulations, and strengthened oversight are essential to ensuring that the MBG Program is implemented effectively, accountably, and sustainably.