The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Wed, August 15 2012,
The National Drug and Food Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has said that local markets, especially outside the island of Java, are flooded with food products that have exceeded their use-by dates.
BPOM said that spoiled food could easily be found in places outside of Java given transportation and logistical problems.
The head of the BPOM, Lucky S. Slamet, said inefficient distribution systems appeared to have become the primary cause of the problem.
“We’ve observed the sale of spoiled food products before and during Ramadhan, and this trend will continue until the end of the holy month,” she said recently.
The BPOM reports that during a crackdown on food vendors ahead of the Idul Fitri celebration this year, it confiscated 28,899 food items worth Rp 1.16 billion, comprising 1,714 products that had reached or passed their sell-by dates.
In 2011, the agency confiscated 99,399 items worth Rp 4.13 billion, down from 239,896 items worth Rp 9.59 billion in the previous year, in its efforts to ensure the safety of the nation’s food supply.
Lucky said that areas with transportation problems, such as East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), had become a repository of spoiled goods.
“But this year, the sale of expired and spoiled food products is becoming increasingly widespread across the country. We are concerned that areas that have transportation problems have turned into a dumping ground for spoiled goods,” he said.
The BPOM data shows that Ambon (Maluku), Kendari (Southeast Sulawesi), Makassar (South Sulawesi), and Manado (North Sulawesi) are among the cities with a large quantities of expired foods for sale in their markets. Suratmono, the BPOM’s director of food certification and inspection, said that in many cases, vendors could not get fresh products because of transportation problems.
“So, people keep consuming products that are circulating in local markets without paying enough attention whether the foods are still in good condition,” he told The Jakarta Post.
wo 15 aug 2012 - 23:19