The Importance of Quality Food to Maintain Nutrition and Public Health

JAKARTA - Public health is not only influenced by nutritious diets, but also by food safety from the distribution process.

Food that is produced with good quality is still at risk of declining quality if the storage, transportation, and distribution processes do not meet safety standards.

Therefore, strengthening the food logistics system is an important part of efforts to maintain public health.

Food that is stored, transported, and distributed through a good system will be better maintained so that the risk of contamination, damage, and deterioration can be minimized.

This condition also helps ensure that the community obtains safe, consumable food, and has nutritional value that is maintained.

In the food distribution chain, ports play a strategic role as the entry and exit points for various commodities.

Port management that prioritizes aspects of cleanliness, safety, health, and environmental sustainability is one of the important factors in maintaining the quality of food before it reaches consumers.

The implementation of safety and health standards in the port area also supports the creation of a more efficient food supply chain. Fast and orderly distribution helps maintain product freshness, reduce the potential for food waste (food loss), and increase public confidence in the quality of food consumed.

In addition, the use of digital technology in port management allows the logistics monitoring process to be more accurate, transparent, and efficient.

This system helps ensure that food distribution runs according to standards so that the safety and quality of products are maintained until they are received by the community.

Commitment to more modern port management is also continuing to grow. This is seen from the increasing enthusiasm of port operators in adopting the Green and Smart Port (GSP) concept.

A total of eight ports are participating in the ASRI 2026 Green and Smart Port Initiatives (GSPI), an assessment program that encourages the transformation of ports to become more efficient, digitized, safe, and environmentally friendly.

The program, which was held by the Coordinating Ministry for Food and Agriculture together with the IDSurvey Group consisting of PT SUCOFINDO, PT Biro Klasifikasi Indonesia, and PT Surveyor Indonesia, integrates the ASRI principle (Safe, Healthy, Resik, and Beautiful) as part of the sustainable port management standard.

Coordinating Minister for Food Zulkifli Hasan assessed that the transformation towards a Green and Smart Port will be an important factor in strengthening the efficiency of national food logistics as well as supporting food security.

"Ports are strategic nodes for food distribution. The transformation towards Green and Smart Ports will make logistics more efficient, more competitive costs, while presenting a more environmentally friendly port. This is an important capital to strengthen national competitiveness and food security," said Zulkifli Hasan, quoted from an official statement from IDSurvey.

As a Strategic Holding BUMN Survey Service, IDSurvey is trusted by the Coordinating Ministry for Food and Agriculture to formulate a framework and carry out assessments based on the Green and Smart Port Guidelines 3.0/2023 which refers to national regulations and international best practices.

IDSurvey's Chief Executive Officer, Arisudono Soerono, said the increasing participation of ports showed the industry's growing awareness of the importance of sustainability.

"The trust from the Coordinating Ministry for Food and Agriculture is an honor for IDSurvey. We hope that the results of this assessment will encourage more Indonesian ports to become international standard green ports that support national logistics efficiency," he said.

President Director of PT SUCOFINDO (Persero), Sandry Pasambuna, emphasized that his party was ready to continue to strengthen the implementation of Green and Smart Port through testing, inspection, and certification (TIC) services.

"SUCOFINDO together with IDSurvey will continue to accompany the strengthening of standards, assessments, and capacity building for ports so that the transformation towards green and smart ports is consistent and increases national competitiveness," said Sandry.

At the ASRI GSPI 2026, the Terminal For Self-Interest (TUKS) of PT Petrokimia Gresik received the highest assessment value nationally, followed by PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur and PT Krakatau Bandar Samudera.

Awards were also given to PT Vale Indonesia, PT Pelindo Petikemas TPK Banjarmasin, PT Indonesia Kendaraan Terminal, PT Pelindo Multi Terminal Branch Tanjung Intan, and Bitung Petikemas Terminal.

After the submission of the assessment results, the Coordinating Minister for Food and Agriculture together with a number of ministers also distributed food assistance to online motorcycle taxi drivers, fishermen, and the surrounding community through collaboration with the CSR program of PT Petrokimia Gresik in commemoration of the company's 54th anniversary.

This step is part of a joint effort to support food security while improving people's welfare.