MBG Marketplace to Be Launched Soon: Who Can Become a Supplier?

The National Nutrition Agency (Badan Gizi Nasional or BGN) is preparing a dedicated marketplace for the procurement of raw materials for the Free Nutritious Meals Program (Program Makan Bergizi Gratis or MBG). BGN Head Sudaryono conveyed the plan through his personal Instagram account on Saturday, 12 September 2026. The marketplace is targeted to commence operations in late September or early October 2026 and, at the initial stage, will cover six commodities, namely beef/buffalo meat, chicken meat, eggs, rice, cooking oil, and milk.

According to Sudaryono, the system will adopt the mechanism of the School Procurement Information System (Sistem Informasi Pengadaan di Sekolah or SIPLah) so that the Government can monitor suppliers, prices, transactions, and taxation aspects. BGN is also preparing a verified seller mechanism so that suppliers cannot originate from just any party.

However, another issue needs to be considered: when MBG procurement is transferred to a digital platform, how can the system ensure that it continues to provide access to local business actors who are expressly required to be involved?

From Procurement Digitalisation to Supplier Selection

In simple terms, the MBG marketplace is designed to make the procurement of raw materials easier to monitor. The Government can identify the suppliers, the prices of the goods, and how the transactions are conducted.

BGN also plans to implement a verified seller mechanism. In his statement on 12 September 2026, Sudaryono explained that suppliers would undergo a verification mechanism through associations. He also stated that procurement would, to the extent possible, be carried out from the local area. For example, if an SPPG in Mojokerto requires eggs and the supply is available in Mojokerto, purchases will be prioritised from that area. If the supply is unavailable, procurement may then be carried out from another area.

This means that the marketplace will not only determine how transactions are conducted, but may also determine who can become a supplier.

Involvement of Local Businesses

MBG procurement has in fact already been regulated under Presidential Regulation No. 115 of 2025 on the Governance of the Implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals Program, which has been in force since 17 November 2025 and, among other matters, regulates funding and the procurement of goods/services in the implementation of MBG.

More specifically, BGN subsequently issued BGN Regulation No. 10 of 2026 on the Use of Domestic Products and the Involvement of Micro Enterprises, Small Enterprises, Individual Companies, Cooperatives, Merah Putih Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives, and Village-Owned Enterprises. This Regulation was stipulated on 27 July 2026 and promulgated on 18 August 2026, and therefore was already in force when the MBG marketplace plan was announced in September 2026.

The regulation expressly provides that each SPPG is required to involve local business actors as suppliers of raw materials and/or food ingredients.

Based on Article 5, an SPPG is required to first involve business actors domiciled and conducting business in the subdistrict where the SPPG is located. If none are available, the SPPG may involve business actors from the nearest subdistrict within the same regency/municipality. If they are still unavailable, the scope may be expanded to the nearest regency/municipality within the province, and ultimately to outside the province.

So, Who Can Become a Supplier?

BGN Regulation 10/2026 establishes the categories of business actors that may be involved, namely micro enterprises, small enterprises, individual companies, cooperatives, Merah Putih Village/Subdistrict Cooperatives, and Village-Owned Enterprises.

They must nevertheless satisfy administrative and technical requirements. Administratively, these include the requirement to have a Business Identification Number (NIB) and Taxpayer Identification Number (NPWP). From a technical perspective, business actors must be capable of supplying food ingredients, possess facilities and infrastructure that meet hygiene and food safety standards, maintain the quality and suitability of food ingredients, and provide a sustainable supply. For business actors that produce or process food, food safety and halal certification must also be fulfilled in accordance with the applicable provisions.

Their involvement is carried out through data collection and validation. Data collection is conducted by the KPPG with the involvement of regional governments, while validation is conducted by the KPPG based on the results of the data collection and submitted through the National Nutrition Fulfilment Information System (Sistem Informasi Pemenuhan Gizi Nasional or SIPGN).

This is where the verified seller mechanism becomes important. BGN needs to ensure that the verification mechanism on the marketplace operates in alignment with the data collection and validation processes already prescribed by the regulations.

Verified Seller

The plan to implement a verified seller mechanism raises questions concerning the design of the MBG marketplace. Verification of suppliers may be necessary to ensure compliance with the requirements and maintain procurement accountability. However, this mechanism must be aligned with the process for collecting data on and validating business actors as regulated under BGN Regulation 10/2026.

If the validation process has already determined that a business actor satisfies the requirements, what would be the basis for the marketplace to determine that such business actor does not yet qualify as a verified seller?

This determines whether verified seller status is merely a technical mechanism for implementing the results of the validation, or instead constitutes an additional stage with separate requirements. If there are additional requirements, their legal basis and criteria need to be clear and objective so as not to restrict access for MSMEs and local business actors that are expressly required to be involved in the MBG supply chain.

Do Not Let It Become Digital but Restrict Access

This issue of access was also highlighted by Member of Commission IX of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI), Netty Prasetiyani. In a written statement dated 14 September 2026 published through the official DPR RI website, Netty called for the verified seller mechanism to be formulated openly and objectively so that it does not benefit only large business actors. She emphasised that farmers, livestock breeders, fishermen, cooperatives, Village-Owned Enterprises, and local MSMEs must be afforded fair access.

BGN Regulation 10/2026 itself prohibits SPPG managers from obstructing or restricting business actors that have satisfied the requirements. Managers are also prohibited from engaging in mark-ups, receiving remuneration or commissions from business actors, and disregarding transparency regarding raw material requirements and menu planning. Violations may be subject to sanctions, including written warnings and the temporary suspension of SPPG operations.

Accordingly, the challenge for the MBG marketplace is not merely to make transactions digital and transparent, but also to ensure that the obligation to involve local businesses can be implemented within the system.

Its success should not be measured solely by whether the platform is successfully launched, but also by whether the marketplace is capable of matching SPPG requirements with suppliers that meet the applicable standards, maintaining price and transaction transparency, while at the same time providing access to business actors that are expressly required to be involved under BGN Regulation 10/2026.