Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal claimed that nutritionists in Indonesia are scarce and insufficient to meet the needs of the free nutritious meals program (MBG). His statement went viral on social media and has sparked debate.
The professional organization, the Indonesian Nutritionists Association (Persagi), emphasized the contrary. According to Persagi, Indonesia is not lacking in nutritionists, but rather in the distribution of data and coordination.
The scarcity of nutritionists was also mentioned by the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), the implementer of the MBG program. According to the Head of BGN, Dadan Hindayana, this profession suddenly became 'scarce' since the MBG program started on January 6, 2025.
Nutritionists who previously had difficulty finding jobs are now in high demand. "Commission IX suggested that BGN find a way out of the scarcity of nutritionists," Dadan said during a meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives on November 12, 2025. BGN even prepared the option of recruiting graduates from similar fields such as public health, food technology, and food processing.
However, Persagi strongly refuted this notion. The Chairman of Persagi, Doddy Izwardy, stated that the supply of nutritionists in Indonesia is actually very large. Universities produce around 11,000 new graduates every year. 'This number is sufficient to meet all the needs of SPPG in Indonesia,' Doddy said in Menteng, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, November 19, 2025.
According to Doddy, the problem in the field is not the scarcity of nutritionists, but the lack of distribution mapping and an unclear recruitment system. Many graduates go undetected by the managers of the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG). Therefore, Persagi has consolidated 35 Regional Representatives and 500 Local Representatives to map the presence of its members, simultaneously signing a memorandum of understanding with BGN for the distribution of nutritionists.
Amidst this tug-of-war, the Ministry of Coordinating Human Development and Culture asserts that MBG must still involve nutritionists. The Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture, Zulkifli Hasan, stated that the participation of nutritionists cannot be negotiated, especially in overseeing high-sugar foods and reducing the risk of non-communicable diseases, which are now also affecting children. 'MBG must involve nutritionists,' Zulhas said after meeting with Persagi.
Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal's statement sparked controversy when he mentioned that the position of nutritionists could be replaced by non-professionals given three months of training. He even said he could hammer down the need for nutritionists in SPPG. After his video went viral, Cucun apologized, stating that his remarks were only in response to BGN's discourse on placing non-professionals due to alleged scarcity.
Persagi considers this discourse to be unreasonable. Apart from the complex scientific expertise required-from analyzing the composition of nutrients to food safety-the workload at SPPG cannot possibly be handled by individuals without in-depth education. One SPPG, which has a capacity of 3,000 portions per day, is even deemed to require a minimum of two nutritionists working in shifts. 'Three months is not enough. The process of educating a nutritionist takes years,' Doddy said.
The 2024 data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) recorded the number of nutritionists in Indonesia reaching 34,553 people. This figure did decrease by around 5 percent from the previous year, but it still far exceeds the basic needs of MBG when calculated per SPPG unit. Therefore, Persagi states that the narrative of scarcity does not reflect the factual situation.
Now, both institutions, BGN and Persagi, have signed a memorandum of understanding to unify their databases and improve the distribution of professional personnel. The government hopes that this collaboration can alleviate controversy while ensuring the standard of food safety in the MBG program remains upheld.
– Anastasya Lavenia Yudi, Sultan Abdurrahman, and Dian Rahma Fika contributed to the writing of this article.