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Indofood says Taiwan spat temporary glitch
Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur (ICBP) has denied an allegation it exported noodles with banned preservatives to Taiwan, saying they could have entered the market via unofficial suppliers
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ndofood CBP Sukses Makmur (ICBP) has denied an allegation it exported noodles with banned preservatives to Taiwan, saying they could have entered the market via unofficial suppliers.
Taufik Wiraatmadja, a director of the world’s biggest instant noodles producer, said in a press statement that the company was in compliance with the standards set by Taiwan’s food authority, including on the content of methyl p–hydroxybenzoate.
Taufik said that the content of the substance in the seasoning of its noodle products varied depending on designated markets, as each country had different standards.
“The company believes recent reports in the Taiwanese media arose in relation to instant noodles manufactured by ICBP but not intended for the Taiwan market,” Taufik said.
According to standards set by the international body for food standards, Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), methyl p–hydroxybenzoate also known popularly as Nipagin is safe to be consumed in a ratio of 1,000 milligrams per kilogram of a food product.
Nipagin can be found in soy sauce packaged with ICBP’s instant fried noodles in a ratio of 250 milligrams per kilogram for the Indonesian market and zero (none at all) for Taiwan as demanded by the local authority, Taufik said.
Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) chief Kustantinah confirmed Monday that Nipagin could only be found in ICBP’s soy sauce.
Kustantinah said each country had the right to set its own standard on the permitted level of use of Nipagin. Canada and the US, for example, set a standard of 1,000 milligrams per kilogram, Brunei Darussalam 250 and Hong Kong 550.
The trade ministry’s head of trade and economics for Taiwan, Bambang Mulyanto, said noodles pulled out by Taiwan’s food authority were intended for the Indonesian market.
Fransiskus Welirang, a director of the ICBP’s parent company, Indofood Sukses Makmur, speculated the noodles could have entered the Taiwanese market through the global supply chain, not direct from ICBP.
Shares in both Indofood Sukses Makmur and its instant noodle subsidiary Indofood CBP (ICBP) dropped following reports of a product recall in Taiwan.
ICBP, which just did an initial listing on the stock exchange (IDX) last Wednesday, neared its initial public offering price of Rp 5,395 a piece. ICBP shares were traded at Rp 5,450, down 4.39 percent from Friday’s close at Rp 5,700 per share.
The number of investors selling shares of the two Indofood companies slowed the broad upward trend in the Jakarta composite index which continued its gains as the regional market extended its rally.
The country’s stock market authorities are keeping their eyes on the two Indofood companies’ share movements following that the firms sent an official explanation on recent price trends in response to media reports, IDX director Eddy Sugito said Monday.
Analysts said the fall of Indofood share prices, one of the blue chip shares in the stock market, was only temporary as there was not a fundamental issue at stake . (map/est)
