Indonesia suspends free meals on public holidays

Indonesia's National Nutrition Agency suspended its free meal program on public holidays. It cited efficiency and a review of the program. The pause was expected to reduce spending as the government looked at budget pressure.

The decision followed student protests the previous week over fuel prices and spending on the same meals scheme. This week's step was an administrative suspension on holidays, not a cancellation of every meal. Holidays were the days taken out.

No new calorie standard or menu was published with the suspension. The stated goals were efficiency and review. Budget pressure was the context officials gave.

The program had been a food policy large enough to draw street protest. The holiday pause was a narrower change. It left weekday service as the remaining question rather than answering it in the same notice.

Other governments were also moving prices and benefits. The Bank of Japan's rate rise and Japan's visa-fee increase were not nutrition policy. Indonesia's notice was the one that named meals.

Free meals on public holidays were the service stopped. Efficiency and review were the reasons given. Spending relief was the expected result, not a published savings total in the initial report.