BGN Chief Reveals Plan to Recruit Chefs and Catering Services for Free Nutritious Meals Programme

Jakarta – Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Sudaryono met with Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and a number of nutrition experts today. The meeting discussed the evaluation of the management of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme.

Sudaryono said that during the meeting, his agency received input to improve the implementation of MBG.

A number of issues that came under scrutiny included the MBG menu, kitchen sanitation, and food safety to prevent poisoning.

“We received a great deal of input, on many matters, from portion sizes, to the 3T (frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged) regions, to how to ensure safety so there is no poisoning,” Sudaryono said at the Ministry of Health office in South Jakarta on Wednesday, 5 August 2026.

“Then also how to involve nutritionists, how to involve collaboration with ministries, agencies, and regional governments, and so on,” he added.

He said the meeting also discussed BGN’s plan to recruit chefs and partner with the catering industry to prepare MBG menus.

“I also have a plan to involve several chefs, and then also catering industries, for example,” he explained.

Furthermore, Sudaryono said the discussion on MBG would not stop at this evening’s meeting. After this meeting, BGN together with the Ministry of Health and nutrition experts will form a follow-up discussion group.

“Our plan is to create a kind of discussion group, so that we can continue discussing not just once today but continuously,” Sudaryono revealed.

“Then we can obtain input, with the output being improvements, and going forward it will become increasingly better, excellent, and in line with what we want,” he concluded.