Jakarta (ANTARA) – The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry collaborate to improve nutrition and food safety literacy among teachers, supporting the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.
“The MBG success is determined not only by the availability of nutritious food, but also by understanding of balanced nutrition, food safety, cleanliness, discipline, and healthy living habits within schools,” BGN Deputy for Promotion and Cooperation Mariman Darto said at a webinar here on Wednesday.
Darto said the collaboration marked an initial step toward strengthening nutrition and food safety education broadly, gradually, and sustainably within schools, targeting 658,300 teachers and education staff in Jakarta, West Java, and Banten.
Meanwhile, BGN Head Sudaryono stressed that the MBG program is not only about providing food but also carries an educational mission to improve public understanding of the importance of nutrition.
“BGN cannot work alone. Our job is not as simple as just distributing food to schools, it is not just that, because one part of it involves nutrition literacy and education,” he said.
He said teachers play a strategic role in helping students understand nutrition while building healthy living habits, which are expected to extend beyond school and influence family habits at home as well.
Besides nutrition literacy, he stressed the importance of food safety as a priority in implementing the MBG program. Teachers and education staff are encouraged to understand organoleptic testing to ensure the food received by students is safe to consume.
Through strengthening teachers’ and education staff’s capacity, the MBG program is expected to not only support students’ nutritional needs but also build healthy eating habits, clean living behavior, and a healthy, intelligent, and well-charactered generation of Indonesians.
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Translator: Lintang, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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