Ministry of Creative Economy backs effort to establish tumpeng as intellectual property

Jakarta — The Ministry of Creative Economy (Kemenekraf) has thrown its support behind efforts to establish the traditional tumpeng dish and other Indonesian gastronomic creations as intellectual property, with the aim of boosting regional creative economies.

Upon receiving representatives of the Indonesia Gastronomy Community (IGC) at Autograph Tower, Jakarta, on Thursday (19 February), Minister of Creative Economy Teuku Riefky Harsya said tumpeng’s distinctive character could serve as a strong foundation for developing it into a national gastronomy intellectual property (IP).

“At the Ministry of Creative Economy, we are encouraging cultural wealth to become IP that can be commercialised and deliver broad benefits to the public,” he said, as quoted in the ministry’s press release on Friday.

Kemenekraf supports the efforts of IGC as the initiator of Indonesia’s gastronomy ecosystem development based on research, curation, and intellectual property strengthening.

The community, established in 2020, focuses on strengthening Indonesia’s gastronomy brand, developing Nusantara culinary IP, and growing gastronomy micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

“IGC is a community that loves food, beverages, culture, and the philosophy of gastronomy,” said Ria Musiawan, IGC chairperson for the 2023–2026 term.

“We want tumpeng to become better known and its meaning understood as a symbol of unity. We hope today marks a good beginning for building more concrete collaboration,” she added.

During the meeting with Kemenekraf officials, IGC proposed efforts to strengthen culinary MSMEs, build a Gastronomy Creative Hub and experience-based exhibition models, integrate gastronomy into the creative economy promotion agenda, and develop a social impact-based gastronomy model through local food education.

Deputy for Cultural Creativity and Design at the Ministry of Creative Economy, Yuke Sri Rahayu, expressed appreciation for IGC’s consistency in championing culinary heritage rooted in history and culture.

Yuke emphasised the importance of strengthening curation and storytelling in efforts to enhance the competitiveness of Indonesian culinary products.

“The tumpeng tradition can become a pilot project demonstrating that our cultural wealth holds significant added-value potential for the commercialisation of national gastronomy IP,” she said.