Sudaryono Explains Why He Proposed Adding Free Nutritious Meals to the School Curriculum

National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Sudaryono has explained why he proposed including Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) in the school curriculum, saying children need to understand nutrition.

He made the remarks at the ‘Transformasi MBG 2.0’ event at Usmar Ismail Hall on Jalan Rasuna Said, Setia Budi, South Jakarta, on Thursday (29 October 2026). Sudaryono addressed discussion of the proposal on social media.

“Perhaps there is a lot of discussion now about the BGN head asking for MBG and nutrition education to be included in the curriculum. The idea is for it to become an integrated part of education, with a dedicated time slot so it does not disrupt lesson hours,” Sudaryono said.

He said children could be taught about nutrition while eating MBG meals, adding that it was important for them to learn about the nutritional value of the food they eat.

“The decision is that Year 1 and Year 2 primary pupils, who finish school in the morning, eat at 10am before going home. Those who finish in the afternoon are given an hour, from noon to 1pm, to eat MBG while receiving an explanation of why they need carbohydrates, why they need animal protein and what it does, and why they should eat vegetables,” he said.

Sudaryono said many people were unfamiliar with the nutritional content of food. He said nutrition education was important to raise public awareness.

“Not many children—or all of us here, for that matter—have understood this before. People in cities may understand it now, but in some regions people do not know the difference between eating water spinach and spinach,” Sudaryono said.

“They just know that water spinach stir-fried with salted fish tastes good, or that spinach goes in a soup. This education is important so people become aware,” he added.

Sudaryono said the government wanted the public to understand the importance of nutritional interventions. He said nutritious meals should also be provided at home.

“The government’s aim is not only to provide nutritional intervention through MBG, but also knowledge about nutrition. Then, at home, families can add to their children’s nutrition by buying food ingredients whose nutritional content supports their growth. They should not rely solely on MBG. That is the aim of our President’s vision,” he said.