“Strengthening Blue Food Systems for National Nutrition Resilience”

In 2025, the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, announced one of his national strategic programs, titled "Free Nutritious Meals," an initiative to improve the nutrition of Indonesian children by providing daily meals in elementary schools.

The GEF-6 Coastal Fisheries Initiative (CFI) Indonesia responded to this national program to increase the CFI Indonesia project's benefits for the Indonesian government and also the coastal communities. This is possible because CFI Indonesia currently has the Sasi Label, a program that empowers fisherwomen's groups who produce processed food products. These products, in addition to generating up to USD 1,200 in monthly group income, have successfully reduced the stunting rate among fishers' children from 30% to 18%.

Therefore, CFI Indonesia, together with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries and the Provincial and Regency Fisheries and Marine Affairs Offices, is implementing the Sasi Label in three strategic areas: Southeast Maluku, Ambon, and Raja Ampat, to demonstrate CFI Indonesia's commitment to integrating the blue economy and food security agendas for the young generation.

Joyful laughter fills the room as students receive their MBG meals, their bright smiles reflecting the simple happiness of enjoying nutritious food made with care. In that moment, the MBG initiative becomes more than a program—it becomes a promise of healthier futures, where every child is given the nourishment, they need to grow, learn, and thrive

Unified Efforts Across Three Regions: One Goal for Nutritional Resilience

In Southeast Maluku Regency, 40 women from eight business groups participated in Technical Guidance on Preparing Women’s Fish-Processing Groups to meet MBG Requirements. The training focused on business legal compliance, food safety certification, and strengthening operational capacity.

In Ambon City, through a Training of Trainers (ToT), CFI Indonesia provided fish-processing skills to the Mahina Ecoprint group as a business diversification strategy while preparing women champions to support the MBG food supply.

Meanwhile, in Raja Ampat, a series of technical guidance training sessions focused on strengthening MSME and fisher capacity in business management, marketing, post-harvest handling, and fishing techniques to ensure production meets MBG standards.

The synergies across these three regions create a strong foundation for integrating local fisheries businesses into the blue protein supply chain for MBG—positioning coastal communities not only as beneficiaries, but as primary providers of nutritious food for Indonesian children.

MBG Standards and Requirements: Building Readiness for Blue Food Actors

Three key pillars must be met: business legality, including the Business Identification Number (NIB), Trade Business License (SIUP), and Taxpayer Identification Number (NPWP). Food product certification, including BPOM/PIRT distribution permits, halal certification, nutrition laboratory testing, and compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Operational capacity, including adequate storage facilities, distribution systems, and traceability. Through this training, coastal women’s groups are encouraged to understand and meet all three aspects, enabling their fish-based processed products to integrate into the MBG supply chain in a sustainable manner.

Potential Group Integration into the MBG Supply Chain

CFI Indonesia’s interventions open opportunities for coastal MSMEs to become official MBG suppliers. Key readiness indicators include:

• Producer groups in Southeast Maluku already have established production experience. Several processing units have also obtained SKP and PIRT certifications, and their products are now available in modern retail outlets in Ambon and Langgur.
• Women champions in Ambon who have mastered value-added fish processing and begun building local marketing networks which can support MBG’s supply to schools in Ambon City. Their products are now sold in 10 modern retail outlets in Ambon.
• Raja Ampat groups have great potential for supplying fresh and processed fish, supported by strengthened capacity in fishing, post-harvest handling, and business management as part of the Red-and-White Fishing Village initiative.

With intensive technical assistance, these groups are projected to meet SPPG standards within 1–2 years, particularly after securing formal legal status, increasing production volumes, and improving cold-chain infrastructure.

Role of Ambon BPOM: Ensuring Food Safety for Indonesia’s Children

The Head of Ambon BPOM, Tamran Ismail, delivered an essential keynote during the training session, emphasising that food safety is a non-negotiable requirement for MBG suppliers. He highlighted that:

• PIRT and BPOM distribution permits serve as instruments of public trust, not merely administrative documents.
• MSME producers must ensure proper sanitation and hygiene throughout the production process because “consumers pay for safe products.”
• MBG requires safe, nutritious, and standardised food products; therefore, innovation in fish-based processed foods must strictly comply with food-safety procedures.

Ambon BPOM is committed to accelerating the certification assistance process for MSMEs supported by CFI Indonesia, in collaboration with the local MBG Acceleration Working Group.

A Women Fisher Champion stands at the front of the room, sharing her knowledge with confidence as she guides others through the steps of creating nutritious, fish-based processed foods. Her hands move with practiced ease, and her voice carries the warmth of lived experience—turning the session into more than a training, but a moment of empowerment where community wisdom is passed forward to strengthen local nutrition and support the MBG programme.

Blue Foods for the Future Generation

MBG initiatives across the three regions demonstrate that empowering women and coastal fishers can serve as a national strategy to improve children’s nutritional quality while strengthening local economies. Through training, certification, business capacity building, and supply chain strengthening, GEF-6 CFI Indonesia plays an active role in ensuring that blue foods from Maluku become a key pillar of balanced nutrition for millions of Indonesian schoolchildren.

With strong collaboration from government agencies, local authorities, international partners, and coastal communities, this program serves as a practical model for integrating the blue economy with food security to build a healthier, smarter, and stronger future generation for Indonesia.