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View all search resultsFDA flags radioactive traces in Indonesian spice export
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has detected traces of radioactive contamination in cloves imported from Indonesia, marking the second such discovery in Indonesian food products shipped to the US in less than two months.
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A farmer shows dried cloves that he will sell at a market in East Manggarai in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) in this file photo from 2017. (JP/Markus Makur)
T
he United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found traces of radioactive contaminants in cloves imported from Indonesia, marking the second such discovery in Indonesian food products shipped to the US in less than two months.
In a statement published last week, the FDA said that it had detected traces of cesium-137 (Cs-137) in a sample of cloves from Surabaya-based exporter PT Natural Java Spice.
Cs-137 is a man-made radioactive isotope generated through nuclear reactions. Residues of the isotope can be found worldwide in soil, food and air.
“Spice products shipped by the firm PT Natural Java Spice to the US have been added to the import alert for chemical contamination,” the FDA said, adding that the company will not be permitted to export to the US market until it can “adequately demonstrate that they have resolved the conditions that gave rise to the appearance of the violations”.
Bara Khrisna Hasibuan, an expert staffer at the Office of Coordinating Food Minister, confirmed that the task force for handling the hazards of Cs-137 radionuclide radiation, which operates under the ministry, had received the FDA’s report.
“We are conducting an investigation into the matter,” Bara told The Jakarta Post on Sunday, saying the probe involved representatives from the Nuclear Energy Regulatory Agency (Bapeten), the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and the National Police.
“We are trying to trace the source of contamination of the cloves, just as we have done with an investigation into shrimp products [previously flagged by the FDA as also contaminated with Cs-137],” he added.
