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Indomie variant safe to eat, BPOM insists
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T
he Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has asserted that an Indomie instant noodle variant that has been pulled from shelves in Taiwan and Malaysia for containing carcinogens, is in fact safe for consumption.
The BPOM said on Thursday that while the Indomie chicken special variant did contain ethylene oxide, the carcinogen was present at levels that were acceptable by the agency’s standards.
The BPOM said food products manufactured in Indonesia were permitted to contain up to 85 parts per million (ppm) of ethylene oxide.
"The level detected in the instant noodle sample in Taiwan (0.34 ppm) is still way below the standard applied in Indonesia and in other countries like the United States and Canada," the agency said.
The BPOM added that it understood why authorities in Taiwan had banned the sale of Indomie chicken special, as ethylene oxide was prohibited in food products there.
"In Indonesia, the instant noodle is safe for consumption as it has complied with the standard applied here," the agency contended.
Earlier this week, the Taipei Health Department detected the carcinogen in at least one Indomie instant noodle variant from Indonesia, following a random inspection of various brands of instant noodles available in the city.
Ethylene oxide, a chemical linked to lymphoma and leukemia, was found in the seasoning packets of the Indomie chicken special variant.
"The detection of ethylene oxide in the product did not comply with the Pesticide Residue Allowance Standard announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. [...] Businesses within the jurisdiction have been ordered to immediately remove them from their shelves," read a press statement released on Monday.
A fine of between 60,000 yuan (US$1,953) and 200 million yuan will be imposed on operators or shops found to have defied the order to "remove the offending product from the shelves and destroy them”, the statement added.
Indomie is Indonesia's most popular instant noodle brand, with a recent survey by Katadata Insight Center (KIC) showing that over 88 percent of respondents consumed Indomie last year.
It is also exported to 80 countries globally, with the highest demand found in Australia, Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia, the United States, New Zealand and some African countries.
On Wednesday, Malaysia’s Health Ministry ordered the recall of two types of instant noodles, one of which was Indomie chicken special, in response to the decision by health authorities in Taiwan.
Other than Indomie, Malaysia's Ah Lai White Curry instant noodles were also found to contain ethylene oxide in Taipei. Other than potentially causing cancer, the substance has been linked to severe skin and eye irritation, as well as hereditary defects.
Franciscus Welirang, director of Indomie producer PT Indofood Sukses Makmur, told reporters on Tuesday that the Indomie products exported to foreign countries abided by both "the BPOM and the health standards of the importing countries", adding that the company would soon issue a "clarification" on the matter.
