Food Security is an Urgency from Upstream to Downstream, Collaboration is Key

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Deputy for the Coordination of Food Affordability and Security at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, Nani Hendiarti, emphasised the importance of food security as it is closely linked to sustainable development. Food security is needed to meet the nutritional needs of the population and to support the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme.

“Why is security important? Food security here refers to the regulatory aspect. Because we see that the President’s programme has tasked the Coordinating Minister to lead the coordination team for initiatives like the Free Nutritious Meals, which greatly requires this,” she stated at the CNBC Indonesia Food Summit 2026 held at the Auditorium of Menara Bank Mega, South Jakarta, on Monday (27/4/2026).

According to Nani, there are three aspects that are regulated. First, preventing unsafe food from being consumed by the public. Second, strengthening integrated national food security oversight.

“Finally, there are extraordinary events (KLB) of food poisoning that we need to mitigate and carry out special efforts for. But it’s not just that programme, but also other programmes,” Nani said.

The government is strengthening food security and organising the food security system in the country through Government Regulation No. 1 of 2026. This regulation specifically addresses food safety and quality standards.

These safety standards serve as a guide for industries in maintaining their production. One such example is the food and beverage producer, PepsiCo, which is committed to providing snacks using safe and quality raw materials.

Director of Public Policy, Government Affairs & Corporate Communications at PepsiCo, Gabrielle Angriani Johny, said the company is committed to delivering quality products using quality raw materials. This was affirmed when building the Cheetos and Doritos factory last year with an investment value of Rp 3 trillion.

PepsiCo also ensures that corn raw material specifications meet standards. Therefore, as a multinational company with a presence in Indonesia, PepsiCo also requires certainty of quality raw material supply.

On the other hand, PepsiCo is also actively educating and developing potato and corn agriculture together with local farmers. This effort is part of the company’s commitment to boosting farmer productivity and quality.

“We also strive for knowledge transfer. This can be quick, and farmers can accept guidance so that yields can increase,” she explained.

To support food security and raw material guarantees, the government continues to improve the system. This was affirmed by Assistant Deputy for Food Safety, Quality and Nutrition at the Coordinating Ministry for Food, Sabbat Christian Jannes. He said that system organisation is continuously being carried out to make it simpler and more integrated.

Under the command of the Coordinating Ministry for Food, oversight that was previously sectoral and sporadic has now become a unified entity.

“So based on the new regulations, the Coordinating Ministry for Food is given the mandate in cases of food security emergencies. For example, yesterday when there was an extraordinary food poisoning incident,” he revealed.

The important contribution of the Coordinating Ministry for Food in safeguarding food security in the country was appreciated through the Food Transformation Award to the Coordinating Minister for Food, Zulkifli Hasan, at the Food Summit 2026 event. This appreciation was given for his role in realising an independent and sustainable future for Indonesian food, as well as achieving food self-sufficiency.

Not only the major role of the Coordinating Ministry for Food, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) also continues to control and supervise the quality of marine and fishery products from upstream to downstream. This is one of the focuses of KKP to ensure that Indonesian commodity products meet global standards.

Acting Secretary General of KKP, Andi Artha Donny, said that currently they are pushing the upstream side to produce commodities that can meet global standards, from production systems to cultivation models.

KKP is also building integrated quality assurance from upstream to downstream by improving SOPs and harmonising buyer or international standards. One example is the success in accelerating the resolution of the quite serious caesium issue.

KKP’s support for food security and resilience in the country deserves appreciation through the Blue Food Sovereignty Award at the Food Summit 2026 event. The Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, is considered adept at maintaining food resilience from the marine side, amid global dynamics and threats from extreme El Niño phenomena.

Food resilience in guaranteeing the MBG programme

In addition to food resilience, raw material availability, to self-sufficiency, the way local governments manage food flows is also in the spotlight. Food resilience also becomes an important requirement for the free nutritious meals programme to run successfully.

One region that is highlighted is Bandung Regency, which is considered successful in building cross-sectoral coordination in supporting the implementation of MBG and as a reflection of food resilience. Regent of Bandung Regency, Dadang Supriatna, said his region is running cross-sectoral collaboration, forming an MBG Task Force, to a monitoring dashboard to ensure all processes run smoothly.

“So if there is something that needs to be communicated, there is a special task force to the field, and there is a dashboard. Some already have it running (MBG dashboard), some don’t yet, so the beneficiaries will be updated on the dashboard,” Dadang said.

Bandung Regency has 1.25 million MBG beneficiaries. Currently, there are 480 kitchens being prepared and 413 kitchens already operational. The distribution of MBG is adjusted to the conditions and distribution in each sub-district. Thanks to this innovation, the Regent of Bandung Regency, Dadang Supriatna, received the Outstanding Achievement In Free Nutritious Meals & Food Security Award.

In addition to local governments, the private sector also has a vital role in fulfilling national nutrition. The importance of