Industry News

Jakarta (ANTARA)—The National Food and Drug Administration (BPOM) has confirmed that the Nutri-level labeling system will initially be implemented on beverage products, and then gradually expanded to other product categories.

"Based on public testing data and our observations, most of the excessive sugar and fat intake comes from sugary drinks," said Taruna Ikrar, Director General of BPOM, on Tuesday.

Ikrar pointed out that due to the large number of food companies in Indonesia, approximately 1.7 million, the policy will be implemented in phases.

During the grace period, the agency will also provide "health food"The logo, used as a reward for compliant businesses, promotes the policy and will attract more consumers to buy their products."

He added,Other incentives for compliant companies include faster licensing approval processes.。

Ikrar added that the nutrition level labeling policy is based on Health Act No. 17 of 2023 and aims to protect people from fatal non-communicable diseases such as stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease through public education.

"These diseases are preventable if sugar, salt, and fat intake is kept within recommended limits. Prevention is better than cure," he said.

Furthermore, he explained that 73% of deaths in Indonesia are caused by non-communicable diseases, compared to a global average of 70%.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin also stated that nutrition level labels are currently more educational than mandatory. He said there will be a grace period of one to two years.

The Ministry of Health and BPOM will oversee implementation according to their respective jurisdictions, with Sadikin's department responsible for monitoring compliance at major restaurants and large restaurant chains.

The nutrition labeling system consists of four categories: dark green A represents moderate levels of sugar, salt, and fat; light green B; yellow C; and red D represents higher levels of these components.