<![CDATA[The Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program, initiated in 2025, aims to improve students' nutritional status and learning readiness; however, it carries the potential to generate food waste at the consumption level if the meals are not optimally consumed. This study aims to identify students' perceptions of the MBG, determine the level of food waste, and analyze the effect of students' perceptions of the MBG on food waste at MTSN 3 Surabaya City. This study employed a cross-sectional design involving 63 student respondents. Data on students' perceptions were collected using a validated and reliable questionnaire, while food waste was measured using the Visual Comstock method. Data were analyzed using ordinal regression. The results indicated that 90.5% of students held a moderate perception of the MBG, and 73.0% of students exhibited a low level of food waste. The ordinal regression analysis revealed that students' perceptions did not have a significant effect on food waste (Sig. = 0.538 > 0.05). It can be concluded that students' perceptions are not the primary determining factor in reducing food waste. Keywords: food waste; free nutritious meal; perceptions.]]>
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