Semarang City to Host National Dialogue on Best Practices for Free Nutritious Meals Programme

Mayor of Semarang, Agustina Wilujeng, continues to promote the strengthening of the quality of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme through participation in a national dialogue titled Best Practices for MBG, which will be held from 28-30 April 2026 at Hotel Gumaya in Semarang. This forum serves as a strategic platform to collect input from academics and practitioners to ensure the programme runs optimally and sustainably. Food observer and lecturer at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology (FTP) at UNIKA Soegijapranata, Inneke Hantoro, stated that the MBG programme is conceptually sound, but its implementation still leaves many gaps. “The programme is good, but its implementation is not yet strong. Guarantees of food safety, food quality, staff competency, and the Food Provision Management System (SPPG) still need serious improvement,” she said, possessing expertise in food safety and integrity. According to her, cases of substandard food to poisoning are not merely technical incidents, but serious threats to public trust. “If poisoning cases or substandard food still occur, this programme will continue to be rejected. Parents will not take risks with their children’s health,” she said. Inneke considers transparency to be a crucial point. Without an open and accountable system, the MBG programme will struggle to gain legitimacy from society. She also questions the effectiveness of an overly centralistic approach in programme implementation. According to her, field conditions are very diverse and cannot be fully regulated from the centre without involving local areas. “The key lies in the central government’s willingness to listen. It needs to be evaluated whether this overly centralised system is appropriate, or whether it should provide more room for local governments and schools,” she stated. This national dialogue is hoped to produce decisions, not just conclusions. The forum is also expected to drive real changes, particularly in three main areas: strict food safety standards, transparent monitoring systems, and active involvement of local governments and schools. “Dialogues like this must lead to concrete steps. Improvements in food quality and safety cannot be delayed, and programme implementation must be more open and adaptive to field conditions,” she said. The Semarang City Government views this input as an important note in promoting sustainable improvements to the MBG programme. Collaboration between the central government, local governments, academics, and schools is considered key to ensuring this programme truly provides benefits, rather than creating risks. Semarang City is hosting the national dialogue on best practices for MBG, taking place from 28-30 April 2026 at Hotel Gumaya.