T

he Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) officially issued on Friday a regulation on processed food labels that includes a point that suggests susu kental manis (sweetened condensed milk) is a dairy product.

In May, the BPOM issued a circular that restricted condensed milk producers from advertising their products as fresh milk or an equivalent to it. Through the circular, the agency also prohibited sweetened condensed milk advertisements from being aired during prime time.

“Sweetened condensed milk is safe for consumption but it can never substitute breast milk,” agency head Penny Kusumastuti Lukito said during the dissemination of the regulation in Jakarta on Friday as quoted by Antara.

The regulation, Perka BPOM No. 31/2018, requires producers of sweetened condensed milk to display a disclaimer on their packaging that says “sweetened condensed milk cannot substitute breast milk, is not suitable for infants aged 1 year old and younger and cannot be regarded as the main source of nutrients”.

She emphasized that the new regulation automatically annulled the May circular.

Producers will be given a 30-month grace period from the day of the regulation’s issuance to adjust their packaging accordingly.