Queen News World / Tangerang Regency, October 14, 2026 – On Wednesday, (14/10), Minister of Trade Budi Santoso presented the 2026 UKM Pangan Award to 10 of the best micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) food business actors from across Indonesia. This award was presented during the Opening of Pangan Nusa Expo 2026 at Hall 1, Indonesia Convention Exhibition (ICE) BSD City, Tangerang Regency, Banten. Through strict curation and judging, these ten MSMEs have proven that processed food products from all corners of the archipelago are competitive and capable of innovating.
Minister of Trade Busan congratulated the winners of the 2026 UKM Pangan Award. He stated that this award opens the way for food MSME products to penetrate modern retail. One of these opportunities is also opened through a strategic partnership with the Indonesian Retailers Association (APRINDO).
"Congratulations to the winners of the 2026 UKM Pangan Award. The Ministry of Trade is working together with APRINDO so that winning superior food products can be sold in modern retail outlets. This effort is undertaken to further expand the reach of local food products to the public," said Minister of Trade Busan.
Minister of Trade Busan emphasized that the main requirement for food MSME products to enter the retail market is quality. The 2026 UKM Pangan Award provides an opportunity for local food business actors to demonstrate their quality and competitiveness.
"The Ministry of Trade wants to provide market access certainty for the winners as long as their products are quality and hygienic. The 2026 UKM Pangan Award is one of the opportunities to show that the products we curate are indeed competitive," said Minister of Trade Busan.
The UKM Pangan Award is a superior food screening event involving 917 applicants from 33 provinces. Diversity is the main theme of the 2026 UKM Pangan Award. First, the winners of the 2026 UKM Pangan Award come from seven provinces, namely East Java, West Java, Banten, Special Region of Yogyakarta, DKI Jakarta, North Sumatra, and Papua. Furthermore, the variety of food products shows diversity, ranging from lemon kombucha from Jayapura, Papua; baby squid andaliman sambal from Medan, North Sumatra; gluten-free sago-based instant noodles from North Jakarta; to 100 percent banana flour-based granola cookies from Sleman, DIY. Meanwhile, the highest score was achieved by Fisnack Patin Fish Skin Chips from Bogor Regency, West Java, with a score of 91.4 in the Special Products category.
The Ministry of Trade then facilitated the winners of the 2026 UKM Pangan Award to appear as exhibitors at Pangan Nusa Expo 2026 on October 14–18, 2026, at ICE BSD City. Its implementation, which coincided with the 41st Trade Expo Indonesia international trade exhibition at one location, allowed the winners to meet national-scale modern retailers as well as foreign buyers. This strategy proved successful. Previous period winner, Alexa Kukies, is now present at Ranch Market. Meanwhile, Sambal Mamani is now present at Superindo, Hero, and Alfamidi.
Registration for the 2026 UKM Pangan Award took place on September 12–26, 2026. From this stage, 917 MSMEs registered on the website https://ukmpanganaward.buatanlokal.id and submitted their products to be contested. These products were then filtered through several components set by the Ministry of Trade, namely document verification such as distribution permits, halal certificates, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) certificates, and Intellectual Property Rights (HAKI). At that stage, 318 MSME products successfully passed the screening. Next, these products entered the assessment stage based on marketing reach, product promotion and marketing facilities, commitment to quality and food safety, and financial capacity. 40 selected food products emerged from 35 finalist MSMEs.
The final judging was conducted by three judges in the fields of product design and packaging, culinary professionals, and food observers. The judges evaluated the visual design and basic function of the packaging, taste, originality, and added value of the products. The final result was 10 MSME food products that emerged as winners across five categories.
The UKM Pangan Award is an annual curation activity of the Ministry of Trade to appreciate and support domestic food MSMEs. This program screens superior processed food products from all regions of the archipelago with the potential to expand their markets and obtain coaching funds and production facilities from sponsors. The 2026 UKM Pangan Award is supported by Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Danone Indonesia, Zeppelin, and the Indonesian Shopping Center Tenants and Retailers Association (HIPPINDO).
Pride and emotion were felt by one of the winners of the 2026 UKM Pangan Award. The owner of CV Gemilang Pratama, who is the producer of Kombucha RUMA from Jayapura, Dian Lestari, said that being selected as a winner of this award is a prestige for business actors from regions like herself.
"My feelings today are a mixture of happiness and emotion. Our local-scale products can be appreciated up to the national level. Local product entrepreneurs like us who elevate local wisdom are given a proper place, on par with local brands from all over Indonesia," said Dian.(*)
