BGN Head Sudaryono Reveals Purpose of Teachers Tasting Free Nutritious Meals

Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Sudaryono has emphasised that the purpose of teachers tasting the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) is not only to ensure safety but also to serve as a means of education for students. Sudaryono, affectionately known as Mas Dar, explained that teachers tasting the MBG is not an additional burdensome task, but rather a way to teach character education to students.

“It is not only the teachers who taste it. From the finished 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 are the lunch boxes distributed to all students, including teachers receiving the food. The purpose is education. Washing hands, praying, queuing — so there is character education,” he said on his official channel, quoted from Jakarta on Thursday (27/8/2026).

He stressed that teachers receive the MBG menu as a function of nutrition education, which is not only beneficial for improving nutritional quality but also serves as a means of character building for higher-quality Indonesian human resources.

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