Semarang hosts national dialogue on best practices for Free Nutritious Meals programme
Semarang (ANTARA) - The Semarang City Government is hosting the National Dialogue on Best Practices for Free Nutritious Meals (MBG), themed “Growing Together”, on 28-30 April 2026, as a forum for discussion and idea exchange to support multilevel collaboration in enhancing the MBG programme.
“This dialogue is expected to bridge communication so that we can synergise to realise the success of the Free Nutritious Meals programme,” said Semarang Mayor Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti in Semarang on Monday.
The event is being held alongside the ASEAN-ID Nourish Forum, initiated by the Directorate General of ASEAN Cooperation at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in collaboration with the National Nutrition Agency and the Semarang City Government.
The forum features a series of world-class food and nutrition authorities, from the Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hindayana to regional ASEAN experts, including Amalia Serrano (ASEAN Secretariat), Kaoru Uno (Japanese Ministry of Health), Nur Dayana (Malaysia), and Filippo Gavazzeni as Director of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact (MUFPP).
The regional discussion is further strengthened by the presence of Alfrey P Gulla (Philippines), delegates from Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training, and Pattamaporn Aksornchu (Thailand).
“We want to gather various inputs so that the goals of improving nutrition and the quality of Indonesia’s human resources can be achieved sustainably,” said Agustina.
“This ‘pentahelix’ synergy is needed to gather perspectives and policy recommendations to perfect programme planning,” she added.
Enthusiasm for the event is high, evidenced by the number of registrants reaching 178 out of a total quota of 200 participants as of Sunday (26/4).
As part of the event series, she is scheduled to receive official recognition as the MUFPP Steering Committee for the Asia Pacific Region, a strategic position in the global urban food policy network.
“The national scale of this event is evident from the presence of delegates from 19 cities representing various regions of Indonesia, such as representatives from Pekanbaru, Surakarta, Yogyakarta, to Tual. This collaboration is a major asset for aligning nutrition standards and governance in the regions,” she said.
As a concrete step, participants will conduct field reviews on Thursday (30/4) at the Nutrition Fulfilment Service Unit (SPPG) of the Central Java Police (Polri Polda Jateng) 1, SPPG Kedungmundu 2, and SPPG Pedalangan.
The group is also planned to visit Sandi Buana Farm to observe the food supply chain and Galeri Batik Alam Malon as a representation of local economic empowerment based on sustainability.
“Synergy with experts and direct reviews of service units will serve as capital for each region. We want high nutrition standards and strict food security to become the main foundation for the success of the MBG programme throughout Indonesia,” she said.