Semarang forum unites 11 ASEAN countries to share strategies on healthy school feeding and resilient food systems.
Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency is convening an ASEAN forum in Semarang to strengthen cooperation on nutritious school meals, human capital development, and food-system resilience across the region.
Regional Forum And Objectives
The ASEAN-ID Nourish forum on Healthy School Meals and Nutrition for Human Capital Development and Resilient Food System runs from April 27 to 29 in Semarang, Central Java, bringing together about 50 participants from 11 ASEAN countries and partners. Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency (BGN) says the meeting is a key moment for governments to exchange experiences and best practices on designing, funding and scaling nutritious school meal programmes.
Link To ASEAN Commitments
BGN deputy for Provision and Distribution Suardi Samiran noted that safe, nutritious, high-quality meals are essential to building healthy, competitive human capital and shoring up regional food security. The forum supports the 2023 ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on Strengthening Food Security and Nutrition in Response to Crises, which calls for resilient, inclusive and sustainable food systems that can withstand shocks while protecting children and vulnerable groups.
Showcasing Indonesia’s MBG Programme
Indonesia is using the forum to share lessons from its Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme, including how Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPGs) link local producers and caterers to schools. Delegates will visit an SPPG in Semarang to observe day-to-day implementation, from menu planning and local sourcing to hygiene practices, allowing countries to see how programme design translates into operational routines for feeding students.
Local Economies And Supply Chains
Discussions highlight the strategic role of micro, small and medium enterprises, cooperatives and other local actors in supplying ingredients and services for school meals, aligning nutrition goals with efforts to strengthen regional economies. Sessions also cover food safety and hygiene, waste management, and the use of technology to monitor supply chains, improve menu quality and reduce losses, aiming to make school feeding both healthier and more efficient.
Toward Concrete ASEAN Collaboration
With representatives from ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretariat, external partners and international organisations, the forum aims to move beyond dialogue toward concrete collaborative initiatives on food, nutrition and human capital. Organisers hope knowledge exchange will inform policy reforms, joint projects and technical support across ASEAN, helping governments design school meal systems that are more robust in the face of climate, economic and geopolitical disruptions.
Indonesia’s leadership in hosting the ASEAN-ID Nourish forum underscores how school meals can sit at the intersection of nutrition, education and economic resilience across South-east Asia. For Indonesians, it reinforces national efforts to scale MBG while creating local jobs; for Singaporeans, it offers a platform to engage regional partners on food safety, supply-chain innovation and child nutrition, supporting a healthier, better-educated workforce that benefits the entire ASEAN economy.
Sources: EN Antara (2026) , Kuasa Kata (2026)
Keywords: National Nutrition Agency, Free Nutritious Meals, ASEAN-ID Nourish, School Feeding Policies, Regional Food Systems
