BGN: Need for nutritionists increases with expansion of MBG Programme
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) records a sharp increase in the need for nutritionists in line with the expansion of Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG) units across Indonesia, indicating that the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) Programme is having a broader impact.
BGN Head Dadan Hindayana stated that every SPPG is required to have nutrition expert personnel to ensure the quality and composition of the food served meets standards and leverages local potential.
“Every SPPG must have a nutritionist, because what we set is not a national menu, but nutritional composition standards. So, there must be someone to formulate it according to local potential,” Dadan said in an official statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.
With the number of SPPG units already reaching tens of thousands, he said, the need for nutrition personnel has also surged significantly. Each unit requires at least one expert, not including other support teams in food processing and quality supervision.
“Nutrition study programmes were not very popular before, but now they are the most sought-after because the field needs are very large,” he said.
Not only pure nutrition graduates, he added, BGN is also opening opportunities for personnel with other relevant backgrounds, such as public health, food technology, food processing, and food safety.
According to Dadan, the presence of nutrition experts is key to the success of the MBG Programme, especially because the approach used is based on local potential. Each region has different food ingredient characteristics and consumption patterns, so the role of experts is needed to compile appropriate and balanced menus.
In addition to opening new job opportunities, he said, this surge in human resource needs is also encouraging universities to adjust curricula and educational capacity in the fields of nutrition and food. The MBG Programme is seen as a momentum for the revival of vocational and professional education sectors in those fields.