Indonesia training cooks to upgrade flagship free meals programme
Indonesia is expanding chef training nationwide to improve its free nutritious meals program, a flagship initiative of President Prabowo Subianto.
The Creative Economy Ministry’s MASAMO program, or Cooking with Master Chefs, aims to strengthen kitchen workers' skills and raise culinary standards nationwide. It is also part of Prabowo's bid to promote intellectual property-based creative industries in the country, including culinary.
"Through MASAMO, we are strengthening kitchen human resources while encouraging creative industry participation to raise culinary standards and generate tangible local economic impact,” said Creative Economy Minister Teuku Riefky Harsya.
The program targets cooks at Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG), providing hands-on training in menu quality, hygiene, ingredient management and nutrition, following National Nutrition Agency standards.
The latest session, held at SPPG Rajabasa 3 in Lampung, involves ministry officials, provincial and city governments, kitchen managers, kitchenware producer Oxone, and MasterChef Indonesia judge Chef Norman Ismail.
Fifty SPPG cooks participated in intensive sessions covering food safety, healthy cooking and efficient operations, equipping them to serve consistent, nutritious meals to beneficiaries.
In an exclusive interview with Global South World, Dadan Hindayana, head of Indonesia’s National Nutrition Agency, said MBG is set to serve nearly 83 million people in just its second year of operations.
This reach already rivals that of major global chains, such as McDonald’s, which has 69 million daily customers.
Hindayana had also said the initiative boosts local economies by employing workers at each service unit and sourcing ingredients from dozens of local suppliers. The program has also proven vital in crisis relief. During recent cyclones and floods, kitchens ramped up production to serve millions of meals efficiently.
Despite early food safety challenges, measures such as certified water use and strict hygiene protocols are reducing incidents, with Rp335 trillion ($20 billion) earmarked for the program in 2026.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
