Makassar, February 5, 2025 – The Nutrition Science Study Program, Faculty of Public Health (FKM), Hasanuddin University (Unhas) held a meeting regarding the trial of nutritious meal menus for schoolchildren as part of a collaboration with Toyo Food Japan. The event took place in Prof. Nur Nasry Noor Room, 2nd Floor, FKM Unhas, starting at 09.00 WITA until completion.
The meeting was attended by several representatives from Toyo Food Japan, namely Yurika Mori, a nutritionist, Yutaka Oki as assistant general manager, and Hidetoshi Ogikubo as managing director. It was also attended by several FKM Unhas academics, including Prof. Dr. Veni Hadju, MSc, PhD and several lecturers from the Nutrition Science study program and lecturers from the Public Health study program. In this activity, Toyo Food Japan representatives conveyed the concept of nutritious school lunches based on the experience and system implemented in Japan.
In his presentation, Toyo Food Japan explained that lunch at school is not just about fulfilling nutrition, but also part of children’s education. In Japan, lunch is designed to teach children about nutritional values, food processing, and healthy eating habits. Children are taught not to waste food, teachers participate in eating with students, and food ingredients are sourced from local agricultural products. In addition, to ensure adequate calcium, every child is required to drink milk, while used milk cartons are washed and recycled. After eating, students are also accustomed to brushing their teeth together and cleaning the dining room collectively.
It was also mentioned that in Japan, the cost of school lunch ranges from 300 yen (about Rp30,000) per serving, which is partly borne by parents and partly subsidized by the local government. He emphasized that lunch at school is an important pillar in Japan’s national health policy.
Dr. Healthy Hidayanty, SKM., M.Kes explained that “as part of the trial, FKM Unhas also conducted a survey related to the eating habits and nutritional status of children. This program is designed to adjust the nutritional needs of students at school, where lunch contributes about 20–30% of their daily nutritional needs. In addition, a trial menu of healthy meals for parents and children will also be carried out as a form of direct education. With this collaboration, it is hoped that the concept of nutritious lunch can be more widely applied in schools throughout Indonesia, so that children get more balanced nutrition and support their optimal growth and development,” explained Dr. Healthy.
The Nutrition Science Study Program, FKM Unhas will test 2 menus. One of the menus to be tested consists of 150 grams of white rice, 31 grams of soy sauce tofu, 78 grams of stir-fried beans + carrots, 92 grams of sweet and sour chicken, 89 grams of pickles, 34 grams of tomato sauce, and 30 grams of bananas. This menu consists of 150 grams of staple food, 123 grams of side dishes (animal and vegetable), 167 grams of vegetables, and 30 grams of fruit. This menu contains 689 kcal of energy, 16 grams of protein, 31 grams of fat, and 86 grams of carbohydrates.
The collaboration between the Nutrition Science Study Program, FKM Unhas and Toyo Food Japan in the trial of nutritious meal menus for schoolchildren is in line with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDGs 2: Zero Hunger, SDGs 3: Good Health and Well-being and SDGs 4: Quality Education. This program aims to improve the nutritional quality of schoolchildren, help prevent malnutrition, and support their optimal growth and development, which directly contributes to the achievement of food security and improved health (SDGs 2 and SDGs 3). In addition, by providing healthy food in the school environment, this collaboration can also improve students’ concentration and academic achievement, supporting the achievement of quality education (SDGs 4). From the aspect of innovation and global collaboration, the involvement of the Japanese food industry in this program supports SDGs 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure through technology transfer and development of nutrition-based food innovations. Furthermore, this program can inspire the local food industry to adopt better nutritional standards, in line with SDGs 17: Partnerships for the Goals, which emphasizes the importance of global partnerships in achieving sustainable development.
