Bandar Lampung, 15 February, 2026 – In an effort to strengthen the competence of chefs involved in the Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG), the Minister of Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia, Teuku Riefky Harsya, officially inaugurated the MASAMO (Cooking Together with Master Chefs) program at SPPG Rajabasa 3, Lampung. This program serves as a concrete initiative by the Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency to synergize industry players, local governments, and stakeholders in enhancing the quality of MBG meals nationwide.
The Minister of Creative Economy, Teuku Riefky Harsya, reviewed SPPG (Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit) Rajabasa 3 as part of the Creative Economy Cooking Together with Master Chefs (MASAMO) Program collaboration to support the President’s Free Nutritious Meals Program (MBG) in Bandar Lampung, Sunday (February 15, 2026).
This activity is a collaboration between the Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency, the Provincial Government of Lampung, the Metro City Government, the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), SPPG managers and chefs, as well as support from the national kitchenware industry Oxone and MASAMO program trainer, MasterChef Indonesia judge Chef Norman Ismail.
A total of 50 SPPG chefs participated in an intensive training program designed to enhance professionalism standards and the quality of MBG kitchen services. The training materials covered food safety, personal hygiene, raw material management, storage of cooked food, implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) principles, as well as healthy cooking techniques and optimization of community kitchen management. This training aims to ensure that every stage of food production meets hygiene, safety, and nutritional standards in accordance with the provisions of the National Nutrition Agency, while also strengthening the capacity of kitchen personnel as the frontline of the MBG Program’s success.
In his remarks, Teuku Riefky Harsya expressed appreciation for the strong commitment of regional governments in ensuring the success of the MBG Program, which has currently reached approximately 65 million beneficiaries nationwide through more than 21,897 SPPG units. This year, the figure is targeted to increase to more than 83 million beneficiaries, supported by over 36,600 SPPG units across Indonesia.
Source: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
“The MBG Program is not only about fulfilling the nutritional needs of school children, pregnant women, and toddlers. Strengthening the capacity of chefs is key to ensuring that the quality, hygiene standards, and nutritional values set can be consistently maintained across Indonesia,” said Teuku Riefky Harsya.
Creative Economy as a New Engine of Growth
President Prabowo Subianto has mandated the Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency to drive the revival of the creative industry based on intellectual property across regions as a new engine of national economic growth. Among the 17 creative economy subsectors, the culinary sector is one of the priorities.
The MASAMO Program is presented as a concrete strategy to enhance the capacity of SPPG chefs through direct mentoring with MasterChef professionals, in order to ensure quality, menu variety, hygiene standards, as well as nutritional and protein content in accordance with the provisions of the National Nutrition Agency.
Source: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
“Through MASAMO, we are strengthening the human resources of MBG kitchens while encouraging the involvement of the creative industry in improving national culinary standards, which in turn contributes to regional economic growth,” he added.
Lampung as a Model of Collaboration
Lampung is considered to have significant potential in the culinary, fashion, craft, and digital content sectors. Collaboration among government, academia, communities, media, business actors, and financial institutions is key to elevating local brands to the national and even global markets.
Source: Bureau for Communication, Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency.
The MASAMO activity in Lampung serves as an example of multi-stakeholder synergy in supporting national programs while simultaneously driving the local economy, particularly in the agriculture, livestock, trade, and service sectors involved in the MBG supply chain.
In closing, Teuku Riefky Harsya officially inaugurated the MASAMO program as part of efforts to strengthen the competence of chefs and to support the successful implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals Program.
Kiagoos Irvan Faisal
Head of Bureau for Communication
Ministry of Creative Economy / Creative Economy Agency
