10 December 2024
Fenny Julistine Tarigan
On Monday, December 9, 2024, Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) participated in the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the launch of the Safe Food Goes to Campus (PAGC) program organized by the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM). The event occurred at the Bhineka Tunggal Ika Building, BPOM Headquarters, Central Jakarta, and was attended by various university leaders and BPOM representatives.
The PAGC program is a strategic initiative by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology aligned with the Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) platform. Since its launch on April 14, 2022, the program has aimed to develop food safety facilitators among university students who will assist micro, small, and medium-sized food processing enterprises (MSMEs) across Indonesia.
During the event, Ir. Ikhsan Siregar, ST., M.Eng., Director of the Directorate of Education Development, signed the MoU with BPOM, which includes a commitment to enhance student competencies in processed food safety supervision. This synergy is expected to equip students with relevant hard and soft skills required in the workforce.
The objectives of the PAGC program include empowering students in food safety supervision, training students to become food safety facilitators for MSMEs, improving human resource competencies through learning based on the National Work Competency Standards (SKKNI) in the Food Safety Sector and fostering strategic collaboration between universities and BPOM. The program has successfully involved 551 student facilitators and 503 MSMEs. In 2024, the program will be expanded to 17 additional universities, including USU, as part of national efforts to ensure food safety.
The MoU signing and program launch concluded with hopes for continued collaboration between universities and BPOM, which would have a positive impact on society, particularly in improving food safety in Indonesia.
