BGN Head Reveals MBG Programme Can Make Children Healthier and Taller Like in Japan

The government is continuously working to improve the quality of Indonesia’s human resources (HR), now focusing on a long-term approach based on nutrition and lifestyle changes. The Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, explained that Indonesia is beginning to adopt strategies proven successful in Japan to drive significant improvements in height and overall health quality for generations. He revealed that Japan serves as a real example of the success of structured nutrition interventions that directly impact the population’s height increase. “Japan has been implementing nutritious eating for nearly 100 years. We see that over about 50 years, the average height of Japanese males rose from 159 cm to around 170 cm,” Dadan stated at the U25 State University Forum of Public Legal Entity Universities (PTN-BH), attended by rectors from 24 PTN-BH in Makassar, quoted on Wednesday, 29 April 2026. According to Dadan, this success did not stop at physical improvements but extended to changes in societal lifestyles. He explained that in the initial phase, interventions were carried out through the provision of nutritious food, followed by education, and ultimately forming independent healthy living habits. “Initially interventions, then education, and finally becoming healthy lifestyle habits. That’s what happened in Japan,” he said. Interestingly, trends in Japan show that height increases have been accompanied by a decrease in body weight over the last 20 years. This serves as an indicator of successful healthy lifestyle patterns that not only boost growth but also maintain ideal body proportions. “Now we see, height has increased, but weight has decreased. This means healthy lifestyles have been formed,” he added. BGN assesses that a similar approach is relevant for implementation in Indonesia, particularly through the Free Nutritious Meals Programme (MBG) targeting critical age groups. Interventions are focused on two important phases: the first 1,000 days of life to prevent stunting, and school age through adolescence to support optimal physical growth. Dadan emphasised that without proper nutrition interventions, children’s genetic potential will not develop maximally. “A child in the womb has genetic potential. But if not intervened with a balanced nutrition menu, that potential will not emerge, and stunting can even occur,” he said.