Medan Regional ToT Builds Facilitator Capacity for MBG Nutrition Quality and Food Safety

Strengthening facilitators’ capacity is an important foundation for the success of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. Within this framework, training of trainers (ToT) for the Sumatra region was held from Tuesday to Friday, 3–6 March 2026. The activity involved 48 participants from Aceh, Sumatera Utara, Sumatera Barat, Riau, Jambi and Sumatera Selatan.

The Medan Regional ToT was a strategic step towards strengthening MBG implementation standards in Sumatra, particularly in nutrition, food safety, implementation in educational institutions and nutrition education. Beyond technical training, the activity aimed to develop the people who will maintain programme quality in the field.

Participants represented regional leadership of Badan Gizi Nasional, provincial health offices, provincial education offices, Pusat Pengendalian Lingkungan Hidup, Balai Besar POM, regional offices of Kementerian Agama, Badan Pengendali Mutu Pendidikan (BPMP), and regional branches of PERSAGI. Participation from across Sumatra reinforced the main objective: building a facilitator network with a shared understanding of national standards and the ability to apply them in local contexts.

Participants strengthened their understanding of three main modules:

1. Nutrition Standards and Food Safety for Food Handlers at Satuan Pelayanan Pemenuhan Gizi (SPPG);
2. Training Module on MBG Programme Implementation in Education Units;
3. Nutrition Education Module for the Free Nutritious Meals Programme in Education Units.

The modules were designed to ensure that MBG goes beyond food distribution to uphold the principles of safety, nutrition, hygiene and education. This enables broader benefits for students’ health and the development of healthy eating habits from an early age.

Strengthening facilitators’ roles was a major focus of the Medan Regional ToT. Facilitators are expected to grow beyond being training participants into agents of change who share knowledge, standards and good practices in their regions. This role is important for consistent implementation aligned with national guidance.

The training also emphasised harmonising standards across Sumatra’s provinces. In a large-scale programme such as MBG, success depends on both supporting facilities and the quality of implementation in the field. Nutrition quality, food safety, cleanliness, monitoring and reporting therefore need to be understood and applied consistently by everyone involved.

Alongside food safety during production and distribution, the activity treated nutrition education in educational institutions as an integral part of the programme. Participants strengthened their understanding of balanced nutrition, clean and healthy living habits, and healthy food choices for children, so that programme benefits extend beyond the short term to lasting healthy behaviours.

The Medan Regional ToT was conducted in a spirit of collaboration through Center of Excellence Pemenuhan Gizi Nasional (CoE-PGN), a cooperation platform involving Bappenas, Badan Gizi Nasional, IPB University and UNICEF. This collaboration helps ensure that regional capacity building follows a clear direction and shared standards across Indonesia.

In Sumatera Utara, capacity building is increasingly relevant as regional MBG implementation expands. By early March 2026, Sumatera Utara had established 1,141 SPPG units across 33 districts and cities, reaching around 2.8 million beneficiaries. This progress demonstrates the programme’s growing scale and the need for sustained attention to implementation quality.

The Medan Regional ToT is expected to develop competent, dedicated facilitators who can support safer, measurable and high-quality MBG implementation across Sumatra. Strengthening regional facilitators is ultimately an important part of long-term investment in the health, learning and future of Indonesia’s next generation.