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EDITORIAL: No worms, thank you
Health Minister Nila Djuwita Anfasa Moeloek has assured us that the worms are not dangerous because they die when fish is cooked properly — they even contain protein. Thanks but no thanks, professor.
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Contaminated: Pekanbaru Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency officials show samples of worms-contaminated canned sardines to journalists in a press conference in Pekanbaru, Riau, on March 21. (Antara/FB Anggoro)
O
n top of our daily worries, Indonesians should not have to march for food safety amid fears of consuming worms found in canned mackerel. Health Minister Nila Djuwita Anfasa Moeloek has assured us that the worms are not dangerous because they die when fish is cooked properly — they even contain protein.
Thanks but no thanks, professor. When we resort to buying canned food we are not looking for protein from wriggly invertebrates. (Indonesians only consume processed worms following popular advice to boost protein content when recovering from typhoid, for instance).
Following reports of consumers finding worms in their mackerel, the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) ordered a mass recall of 27 foreign and local brands of canned mackerel after some cans were found to contain parasitic worms, dealing a heavy blow to the industry.
Despite the measures, as of now, the public lacks certainty on the government’s guarantee that our food purchases, canned or not, are safe and up to health and hygiene standards. What we do know is the rather confusing explanation from government agencies — the BPOM that cites a lack of resources to check “more than a million food brands”, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry that points to a possible seasonal outbreak of parasitic worms, as its officials say their presence in canned fish is a first here. The ministry says it is continuing the investigation into the contaminated canned fish together with the BPOM.
Although conditions for the Indonesian consumer are improving, thanks to more and more choices apart from the 1999 Consumer Protection Law, guarantees are far from reality as in the case of food safety. As the BPOM says, regular checks are impossible; its limited resources only enable it to inspect food products twice — during license application procedures and when complaints emerge. In between these two instances, consumers are left to their own devices by gauging the label, ingredient listing and expiry date and rigid supervision of quality, hygiene and safety from the producers themselves.
As one report can affect all products, the Indonesian Fish Cannery Association said all companies producing canned fish are calculating their losses and they have been forced to lay off many workers. All production and distribution of canned mackerel have been ordered to stop until the BPOM has completed audits of all mackerel products. It has tested 541 samples from 66 brands, of which 16 imported brands and 11 local ones were found to contain thread worms.
Meanwhile, the association says all of its members have applied strict, standardized procedures in their production process to guarantee zero health risks.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has urged us to eat more fish to ensure more nutrition “or I’ll drown you”, she joked. Of course, we would love to have more opportunities to eat fresh fish that is free of mercury and other harmful metals. Consumers now know that canned fish is neither safe from unwanted content. At least those worms should open our eyes to what we consume.
