Ministry of Higher Education Asks Other Universities to Emulate Unhas's Initiative in Building MBG Kitchen
The Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Brian Yuliarto, together with the Head of the National Nutrition Agency, Dadan Hindayana, inaugurated the nutritious meal service unit (SPPG) or free nutritious meal kitchen at Hasanuddin University, Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Tuesday, 28 April 2026.
Brian stated that the MBG kitchen facility built by Unhas could be emulated as a concrete example of the role of higher education institutions in supporting the government’s priority programmes, while also strengthening the university’s position as an independent institution.
“The main point is how higher education institutions can play a role in supporting the President’s priority programmes, one of which is the MBG programme,” said Brian during the inauguration, as quoted from Antara.
He emphasised that higher education institutions should not merely be spectators but must be directly involved in policy implementation, including in fulfilling community nutrition needs.
According to Brian, the SPPG at Unhas will be developed as a teaching factory that supports student practice and research. In addition, the facility is projected to become a centre for developing the MBG system that can be replicated more widely. “This SPPG can later become a place for practice, research, and further development of the MBG programme,” he said.
On the same occasion, Dadan stated that Unhas is the first state university with legal entity status to operate the SPPG facility. He appreciated the university’s step, which is considered responsive to the government’s strategic initiatives.
“The openness of the university to participate in the MBG programme is very important because the technology, human resources, and innovations possessed by higher education institutions will be highly beneficial for the development of this programme,” said Dadan.
According to him, the involvement of higher education institutions can strengthen the quality of MBG implementation, particularly in aspects of research, innovation, and human resource development in the food and nutrition sector.