Unhas Rector Explains Reasons for Campus Management of MBG Kitchen
Universitas Hasanuddin (Unhas) has become the first campus to build and manage a nutritious free meal kitchen (MBG). Unhas Rector, Jamaluddin Jompa, explained the reasons behind the campus’s decision to build and manage the MBG kitchen unit. He stated that this is not merely to support the government programme but also to expand the role of higher education institutions in delivering direct impact to society.
Jamaluddin said that the construction of the nutritional fulfilment service unit (SPPG) is an effort to integrate research, education, and community service within one ecosystem. The campus aims to ensure that scientific outcomes do not remain confined to academic spaces.
“SPPG is being promoted so that the entire process is based on Unhas’s internal strengths, including the involvement of nutrition experts. We want to ensure that every product is not only high quality but also guarantees nutritional fulfilment for society,” said Jamaluddin, quoted from Unhas’s official website, Thursday, 30 April 2026. The statement was delivered by Jamaluddin during an inspection of SPPG readiness about a month ago, on 25 March 2026.
According to him, the main reason for the campus’s direct involvement is to turn the MBG programme into a living laboratory. Through this scheme, students and lecturers can directly engage in the production, distribution, and development of nutrition-based food innovations.
Unhas’s SPPG is developed through the Yayasan Metavisi Akademika Nusantara with an upstream-to-downstream approach. The campus integrates the supply chain from raw materials based on internal flagship products to food distribution to schools. “This is part of the campus’s contribution to ensure that the knowledge we possess is truly present and beneficial. We want to move from upstream to downstream, from campus to society,” he said.
In addition, the campus’s involvement is seen as opening opportunities for applied research development and sustainable innovation in food and nutrition. SPPG is not just a production kitchen but also a centre for food technology and management development.
Unhas’s MBG kitchen is currently being prepared in the area next to the campus mosque, after the initial plan in the student dormitory area was relocated due to technical considerations. The Rector targets the SPPG operations to commence soon after the completion of facilities and supporting systems.
Unhas hopes this model can serve as an example of how higher education institutions can actively participate in government social programmes while strengthening practice-based education functions.
Unhas’s MBG kitchen was officially inaugurated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology and the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) on Tuesday, 28 April 2026, at Unhas, Makassar, South Sulawesi.
Higher Education, Science, and Technology Minister Brian Yuliarto, after the inauguration of the kitchen, said that Unhas’s step can be emulated and serves as a concrete example of the role of higher education institutions in supporting government priority programmes, while strengthening the campus’s position as an independent institution.
“The essence is how higher education institutions can carry out their role in supporting the President’s priority programmes, one of which is the MBG programme,” said Brian during the inauguration, as quoted from Antara, Thursday, 30 April 2026.