Bogor-, As part of efforts to strengthen food security and improve the quality of public consumption, the National Food Agency (BPN) held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) with the theme “Policy for Diversifying Food Consumption Based on Local Food”. This activity presented Prof. Dr. Ir. Drajat Martianto, M.Sc., Head of the International Research Institute for Food, Nutrition, and Health (LRI PGK) IPB University, as the main speaker.
This FGD is a strategic forum to align views between the government, academics, researchers, and other stakeholders in formulating the direction of national food consumption diversification policies. The main focus of the discussion was directed at optimizing the potential of local food as a nutritious, safe, and sustainable alternative. In his presentation, Prof. Drajat said that people’s dependence on rice is still very high, even though Indonesia has abundant local food wealth. According to him, transforming consumption patterns through appropriate policies will encourage stronger and more independent food security. “We have so much potential for local food such as sago, cassava, corn, sorghum, and various other agricultural products that have not received serious attention in national consumption policies. Affirmative policies are needed to advance the production and consumption of this local food,” said Prof. Drajat.
He also highlighted the need for cross-sector synergy in encouraging the adoption of local food, from upstream to downstream, as well as the importance of nutrition education for the community in a sustainable manner. The activity initiated by the National Food Agency resulted in various recommendations, such as the importance of integrating food consumption diversification programs in regional development planning, strengthening the role of local governments in promoting local food, and involving MSMEs and the younger generation in product innovation based on local resources. This FGD is one of the concrete steps in strengthening the foundation of a healthy, diverse, and sustainable national food system. The contribution of LRI PGK IPB University through in-depth science and research is expected to continue to provide direction in the formulation of policies that are appropriate and have a broad impact.