FKM UNHAS and UPM Enhance International Research Synergy in Nutrition and Food Technology
A total of 29 Master’s students in Nutrition and 3 Nutrition lecturers from the Faculty of Public Health (FKM) Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) participated in a research dissemination program at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) campus on 12 November 2025. This activity served as a platform for collaboration and knowledge exchange among academics, researchers, and practitioners in Nutrition and Dietetics related to food technology in the era of modernisation.
During the event, representatives from the Nutrition students and lecturers of FKM UUNHAS and UPM presented both completed research findings and ongoing research projects. The research presentations were related to the development of food products that can have a positive effect on human health. It is hoped that this will provide new insights for Master’s students in Nutrition at FKM Unhas. After the oral presentations, there was a Faculty Lab Tour of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, specifically the Department of Nutrition at the UPM campus.
The Head of the Master’s Programme in Nutrition at FKM UNHAS, Rahayu Indriasari, SKM, MPHCN, Ph.D., said that this activity was carried out to provide new insights to Master’s students in Nutrition at FKM UNHAS, which is a strategy of the study programme to build and strengthen competitiveness, as well as expand networks between academics, researchers, and practitioners in international development. This initiative is also aligned with UNHAS’s vision to become a world-class university. Ms. Rahayu Indriasari stated that this event was carried out to provide new perspectives to Master’s students in Nutrition Science at FKM UNHAS, as part of the programme’s strategy to build and strengthen competitiveness, as well as expand networks among academics, researchers, and practitioners in international development. This is also in line with UNHAS’s spirit of becoming a world-class university that actively contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which is also related to the focus of this activity on SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, covering food security, nutrition improvement, sustainable agriculture, and access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food.
Representatives of the 2024 Nutrition Science Master’s students were very enthusiastic in this event as it was considered capable of providing new insights and enthusiasm in deepening their knowledge of nutrition, particularly related to the use of local foods. They hope that Indonesian local foods can become more global, as exemplified by the interesting case of moringa leaves, which are not yet commonly used as a vegetable in Malaysia. Through this activity, the students saw a positive start to expanding their horizons and interacting directly with international students.
This activity has certainly received appreciation from the Nutrition Science Study Programme and the FKM UNHAS, and they are committed to repeating it every year as part of the institution’s commitment to expanding the capacity of the academic community to perform on the international stage.
Through the dissemination of research results and the formation of international collaborations, lecturers from the Nutrition Department of FKM UNHAS and the Nutrition Department of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at UPM have strengthened their global commitment to developing a nutrition system that utilises local food in a resilient, inclusive and sustainable manner. This participation underscores that the Nutrition Science Programme at FKM UNHAS, is also one of the most important fields of study in contributing to the field of food products and their processing for health.