Coordinating Minister for Human Development Highlights Dangers of Sugar, Salt and Fat to Boost Healthy Life Expectancy
Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK) Pratikno has emphasised the importance of quality supervision of medicines and processed foods in order to increase the healthy active life expectancy (HALE) of the Indonesian people. He highlighted the shift in health challenges towards modern consumption patterns, which demand strict oversight of sugar, salt and fat (GGL) content.
“Our greatest challenge is not merely extending life expectancy, but narrowing the gap between lifespan and the length of healthy, active life,” said Pratikno on Tuesday (15/9).
Beyond GGL supervision, Pratikno encouraged the downstreaming of local biodiversity so that Indonesia can achieve self-reliance in supplying raw materials for medicines and phytopharmaceuticals. He affirmed his full support for coordination with BPOM (the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency) to ensure product safety while strengthening the economic potential of the domestic industrial sector and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar explained that the agency’s supervisory mandate spans a broad spectrum, from upstream to downstream (pre-market to post-market). According to him, credible oversight serves as an engine of the national economy, given that the pharmaceutical and food sectors encompass around 4.3 million businesses with an economic turnover of between Rp6,000 trillion and Rp8,000 trillion per year.
“The policies we adopt must be evidence-based and applicable under the 3M philosophy: towering in global reputation, grounded in implementation, and rooted in the hearts of the people,” said Taruna. He added that the WHO-Listed Authority (WLA) status achieved by BPOM proves that Indonesia’s regulatory standards are on a par with the world’s ten best regulators.
Deputy Head of BPS (Statistics Indonesia) Sonny Harry Budiutomo Harmadi revealed that Indonesian life expectancy in 2025 is projected to rise to 77.1 years, with the morbidity rate falling to 12.66%. However, he cautioned that BPOM’s role remains crucial as the front line of consumer protection.
BPS data shows that nearly 20% of people’s monthly expenditure is allocated to prepared foods, and 47.18% of medicine spending goes towards self-medication without a doctor’s prescription. This high level of self-directed consumption demands strict supervision so that products circulating in society are scientifically assured of their safety and quality.