BGN Chief on Teachers Tasting Free Nutritious Meals: They Receive Incentives, Aim Is Education

The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Sudaryono, has explained the reason teachers are asked to taste food from the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme.

According to Sudaryono, this is not only to ensure that the food received by students is safe for consumption. It is also part of nutrition education and character building for learners.

Sudaryono stressed that teachers are not burdened with additional tasks through the activity of tasting the MBG menu. The presence of teachers in the process is instead utilised as a means of teaching good habits to students.

“It is not only the teacher who tastes it, but from the finished MBG product, it has already been tasted starting from the nutrition supervisor tasting it, the field assistant tasting it. The school PIC (person in charge) also receives an incentive to taste it, and only then is the tiffin distributed to all students, including teachers receiving food, the goal is education. Washing hands, praying, queuing, so there is character education,” he said in Jakarta on Thursday, 27 August 2026.

He explained that MBG food is given to teachers so that they can play a role in providing understanding about the importance of nutrition to students. Thus, the programme is not only directed at improving the quality of food intake, but also at shaping higher-quality Indonesian human resources.

“So, the teacher can explain what the benefits of protein are, what carbohydrates are, why there are vegetables, and so on,” he said.

Sudaryono also conveyed developments in the MBG distribution mechanism when teaching and learning activities are halted due to forest and land fires (karhutla).

BGN has previously coordinated with the disaster task force and regional governments to prepare the technical distribution of food to students while schools are closed due to forest and land fires.

According to Sudaryono, the coordination involves the disaster task force, including the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD). Through this coordination, the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) or MBG kitchen can adjust the distribution pattern according to conditions on the ground.

“We have made this orderly with a coordination mechanism that also involves school principals and parents of students,” said Sudaryono.