TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search results
Popular Reads
Top Results
No results found. Please check your search term and try again
Can't find what you're looking for?
View all search resultsWeak monitoring blamed for food poisoning
Weak monitoring has caused the unfettered influx of dangerous food products into the domestic market, including those containing melamine, says the Coalition for Healthy Indonesia
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
Weak monitoring has caused the unfettered influx of dangerous food products into the domestic market, including those containing melamine, says the Coalition for Healthy Indonesia.
"We need public participation to tightly monitor *the distribution of* toxic products if the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency *BPOM* keeps failing," the coalition's Kartono told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.
He was responding to test results released Wednesday by the Indonesia Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and the University of Indonesia.
The tests of 28 food products showed 10 of the samples contained melamine, a toxic chemical normally used in fertilizers and plastics, which can cause kidney failure and kidney stones if ingested.
Among the affected food products were Kino Bear Chocolate Crispy, Yake Assorted Candies, F&N Sweetened Dairy Cream, Dutch Mill Yogurt Drink Natural and Nestl* Bear Brand Sterilized Low Fat Milk.
"We check our products regularly in accredited and independent laboratories, and none of those have ever shown results that our products contain melamine," said PT Nestl* Indonesia corporate and public affairs officer Syahlan Siregar.
He added that specific product was made in Thailand and only distributed there.
"I don't know how it could be found in Indonesia."
He also said all Nestl* products sold in Indonesia - as anywhere else in the world - were absolutely safe for consumption.
YLKI researcher Ilyani said companies whose products were listed as tainted with melamine, could file complaints and protests over the test results.
She added she had found many illegal, unregistered products across Jakarta that used the Nestl* brand.
The YLKI has also received complaints from nine other companies rejecting the test results.
"It is our responsibility to announce this information to the public," she said.
Legislator Nusyahbani Katjasungkana of the National Awakening Party (PKB) urged the police to crack down on the import and distribution of illegal and hazardous food products, most of which had no registration numbers.
"The YLKI should give the list of products to the police for further investigations," s he added. (naf)
