JAKARTA (ANTARA) – Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) has recalled 56,027 processed-food products from regional markets to strengthen public-health safeguards ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a period that is usually a peak for consumption.
At a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, BPOM Head Taruna Ikrar said the recalled products included 27,407 products without a distribution permit, 23,776 expired products and 4,844 spoiled products.
He added that BPOM found most of the unauthorized products in Palembang, South Sumatra, totaling 10,848 items, or 39% of all those seized.
Large quantities of such products were also found in other provinces: 2,653 items in Batam, Riau Islands; 2,756 in Palopo, South Sulawesi; 1,654 in Sanggau, West Kalimantan; and 1,305 in Tarakan, North Kalimantan.
“This work is part of our efforts to strengthen supervision, in response to the increase in processed-food consumption during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr,” Ikrar explained. He noted that BPOM uses both pre-market and post-market regulatory approaches in enforcement.
He added that the agency mobilized 76 local technical units to carry out supervision simultaneously across 38 provinces nationwide, and had inspected 1,134 distribution facilities as of 5 March.
These facilities included modern retailers (50.2%), traditional retailers (32.5%), distributor warehouses (16.6%), importer warehouses (0.6%) and e-commerce warehouses (0.1%).
According to Ikrar, 739 facilities were found to comply with regulatory requirements, while another 395 were flagged as non-compliant.
He further noted that irresponsible parties take advantage of rising demand to channel products through illegal routes, which makes an archipelagic country like Indonesia especially vulnerable.
“Our country has many illegal routes that facilitate unauthorized imports in border areas, which remain outside the full supervision of the authorities,” he said.
In view of this, the BPOM Head reiterated that effective action against illegal products is essential to protect residents from health risks.
FAQ
- Why did Indonesia's BPOM recall 56,027 food products ahead of Eid al-Fitr?
- Indonesia's Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) recalled 56,027 processed-food products from regional markets to strengthen public-health safety ahead of Eid al-Fitr (usually a peak consumption period). The recalled products included 27,407 without a distribution permit, 23,776 expired and 4,844 spoiled. Most of the unauthorized products were found in Palembang, South Sumatra (10,848 items, 39%). BPOM uses both pre-market and post-market regulatory approaches in enforcement, mobilizing 76 local technical units to supervise simultaneously across 38 provinces, and had inspected 1,134 distribution facilities as of 5 March (739 compliant, 395 non-compliant). BPOM noted that border areas of the archipelagic country have illegal routes facilitating unauthorized imports, so effective action against illegal products is essential to protect residents' health.