Jakarta, 12 July 2025

SEAMEO RECFON organized a Master of Trainers (MoT) to support the continued development of the Indonesian Food Barometer (IFB), focusing on health and nutrition among the productive age group in Indonesia. The training was conducted in a hybrid mode from 10–12 July 2025, with in-person sessions held at the Mercure Hotel Cikini, Jakarta, and online sessions via Zoom Meeting. A total of 23 participants from research teams representing the Health Polytechnics of Bandung, Surabaya, Padang, Makassar, and University of Udayana took part in the training.

This training marks an essential component of the second phase of the IFB study, developed by SEAMEO RECFON under the leadership of Prof Jean-Pierre Poulain from Taylor’s University in 2018. The study aims to provide a comprehensive overview of nutritional status, dietary patterns, physical activity, and occupational health among the productive age population, particularly in the context of the Nutrition Goes to Workplace (NGTW) program. The study will be conducted across six provinces: DKI Jakarta, West Java, East Java, West Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and Bali. 

In his opening remarks, SEAMEO RECFON Director Dr. Herqutanto, MPH., MARS., Sp.KKLP emphasized the significance of this study in addressing the triple burden of malnutrition in Indonesia—namely, the high prevalence of obesity, undernutrition, and anemia among the productive age group. “Through a multidisciplinary approach, this study is expected to generate high-quality data that will inform more contextual and multisectoral interventions and policies on health and nutrition, including those in the workplace setting,” he stated.

The Food Barometer is a research instrument developed in the 1980s at the University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès, France. Unlike conventional nutrition surveys, this instrument focuses on the social, cultural, and environmental dimensions of food consumption that shape eating behaviors. The philosophy and methodology were presented directly by Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Poulain and Dr. Elise Mognard from Taylor’s University, Malaysia.

In his presentation, Prof. Poulain emphasized the importance of understanding the social norms and practices surrounding food consumption, particularly in the context of rapid food transitions in Southeast Asia. “We can identify both challenges and solutions. We aim to understand the types of data we are working with, including social norms and the gap between those norms and actual practices—elements that are often hidden within “traditional” nutrition surveys. If we are not careful, this may lead to inaccurate results,” he explained.

The training also covered various technical and operational aspects of the research, including project management using Microsoft Project presented by Aziz Jati Nur Ananda, M.Gizi (SEAMEO RECFON); questionnaire instrument development by Prof. Poulain and Dr. Mognard (Taylor’s Toulouse University, France; Taylor’s University, Malaysia) and research methodology design by Dr. Helda Khusun (SEAMEO RECFON). Additionally, Roselynne Anggraini, M.Gizi (University of Surabaya) presented strategies for fieldwork management, enumerator training schemes, instrument harmonization, and data management systems—from data entry and cleaning to final compilation.

By integrating the disciplines of nutrition, anthropology, and sociology, the training is expected to enhance the capacity of local research teams in conducting in-depth data collection and analysis. The results of this second IFB study will serve as a crucial foundation for designing health and nutrition interventions (including those in the workplace setting) that align with Indonesia’s socio-cultural context, ultimately contributing to the sustainable improvement of the nation’s human resources.