Getting to Know National Nutrition Day, Celebrated Every February 28

National Nutrition Day in Indonesia, commemorated on February 28, is an important celebration in the field of health in Indonesia, even though it is not officially scheduled on the calendar of the Indonesian Ministry of Health. Let’s explore the history and ways to celebrate National Nutrition Day in Indonesia in 2024.

History of National Nutrition Day in Indonesia

According to the official website of the Ministry of Health, the Indonesian government has been striving to improve the nutrition of the population since 1950. The Minister of Health at that time, Dr. Johannes Leimana, appointed Professor Pourwo Soedarmo, known as the Father of National Nutrition, as the Director of the People’s Food Research Institute (LMR).

LMR began establishing Food Illuminator Schools (SJPM) in Indonesia, and since then, the training of nutrition experts in Indonesia has continued to develop.

National Nutrition Day has been commemorated since the mid-1960s. National Nutrition Day commemorates the beginning of the cadreship of Indonesian nutrition workers with the establishment of the Food Illuminator School by LMR on January 25, 1950. Therefore, National Nutrition Day was set on January 25.

However, February 28 remains commemorated as National Nutrition Day in Indonesia, and the Ministry of Health holds National Nutrition Day events throughout January to February every year.

Background of National Nutrition Day in Indonesia 2024

The Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) mentioned on the Ministry of Health’s Ayo Sehat website that the risk of stunting in 2022 increased by 1.6 from the age group of 6-11 years to the age group of 12-23 months, indicating an increase from 13.7% to 22.4%. This indicates a failure in providing complementary feeding (MP-ASI) since the baby was 6 months old.

Theme of National Nutrition Day in Indonesia 2024

In the context of National Nutrition Day 2024, the Indonesian Ministry of Health has set the theme “Animal Protein-Rich Complementary Feeding to Prevent Stunting” with the slogan “Quality Complementary Feeding for the Golden Generation”.

Ways to Celebrate National Nutrition Day

We can commemorate National Nutrition Day with several positive activities that can be done at home, such as:

– Sending greetings for National Nutrition Day
– Consuming balanced nutritious food
– Uploading photos related to nutrition and children

Initiator Friends, let’s take one small step to prevent stunting by providing balanced nutrition for children, for a better future.

Source: detik.com