Wash Your Hands To Choose Snacks, Volunteers Instill Food Security Awareness Since Early Childhood

JAKARTA - Healthy and safe foods are not only determined from the nutritional content, but also from the processing method to the recitation. Currently, food safety is an important factor because contaminated food can trigger health problems, ranging from poisoning to long-term illness.

This awareness needs to be instilled from an early age. Children, teenagers, and adults need to understand simple habits such as washing their hands before eating, choosing clean snacks, to pay attention to the expiration date on packaging.

This small step not only keeps the body healthy, but also prevents various problems that can actually be avoided. In line with that spirit, throughout September 2025 nearly 400 McDonald's Indonesia employees took part directly as volunteers in the annual Community Month (Month Community) program.

Held simultaneously in various cities, this activity recorded more than 1,500 hours of voluntary work, reached 5,100 beneficiaries, and distributed more than 5,400 food packages.

One of the main agendas of this event is visits to more than 50 elementary schools. Students are introduced to 7 Tips for Choosing Healthy Snacks, while traders in the school canteen get 8 Keys to the Healthy & Safe Canteen," said Ronni Rombe, Supply Chain & Quality Assurance Director of PT Rekso Nasional Food (McDonalds Indonesia) at SDN 01 Cikini, Jakarta, recently.

Ronni continued, not only delicious food served in every fast food restaurant outlet, but also ensuring food safety with strict standards in accordance with Halalan Thayyiban principles.

This practice is then packaged into educational materials for children such as choosing healthy snacks for students to the key to healthy and safe canteens for canteen traders who are also in line with the direction and provisions of the Ministry of Health or the Health Office.

"We hope that the message conveyed is easy to understand and helps people to adopt a safe, healthy, and clean diet." he said.

Not only in terms of educational materials, but the delivery is also carried out interactively through games and storytelling, equipped with educational posters and appreciation certificates for canteen traders.

"We also educate the public with simple knowledge and methods, ranging from washing hands, choosing safe snacks, to storing food properly. Through small habits like this, we can protect family health while creating a cleaner and safer environment," he said.

In addition to schools, education is also carried out in more than 50 orphanages, including the SoS Children's Village Jakarta, as well as at the Tresna Werdha Budi Mulia Social In 3 South Jakarta. Children are invited to understand the habit of maintaining basic hygiene, while the elderly are introduced a simple way of reading expired labels and maintaining daily food safety.

"Community Month is a reflection of the culture of caring that has become part of every McDonald's Indonesia employee. We are proud to see the enthusiasm of the volunteers who plunge directly with enthusiasm, because a healthy environment begins with small habits and mutual awareness to take care of each other," concluded Ronni.