Despite the landmark passage of the 1938 Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act...
BPOM Indonesia recalls 56,027 food products due to public health risks.
2026-05-12
Jakarta (ANTARA)—The Indonesian Food and Drug Administration (BPOM) has recalled 56,027 processed food products from various regional markets to enhance public health and safety ahead of Eid al-Fitr, a period typically characterized by high consumption.
At a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, BPOM Director Taruna Ikrar stated that the recalled products included 27,407 products without distribution permits, 23,776 expired products, and 4,844 spoiled products.
He added that BPOM found that most of the unauthorized products in circulation were located in Palembang, South Sumatra, totaling 10,848 items, accounting for 39% of all seizures.
Large quantities of these products were also found in other provinces: Batam, Riau Islands Province (2,653 items); Palopo, South Sulawesi Province (2,756 items); Sanggau, West Kalimantan Province (1,654 items); and Tarakan, North Kalimantan Province (1,305 items).
Ikrar explained, "This work is part of our enhanced regulation efforts aimed at addressing the increased consumption of processed foods during Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr." He noted that BPOM employs both pre-market and post-market regulatory approaches in its enforcement.
He added that the agency has mobilized 76 local technical units to conduct simultaneous surveillance operations in 38 provinces across the country, and has inspected 1,134 distribution facilities as of March 5.
These facilities include 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 deemed compliant with regulations, while another 395 were flagged as non-compliant.
He further pointed out that irresponsible parties take advantage of rising demand to smuggle products through illegal channels, making archipelago nations like Indonesia particularly vulnerable.
He said, "Our country has many illegal channels that facilitate unauthorized imports in border areas that remain outside the full scope of the authorities' oversight."
In light of this, the BPOM Director reiterated that taking effective action against illicit products is crucial to protecting residents from health risks.