Imported foodstuffs must be registered<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM) has set
\nthe deadline for the end of July for importers to register their
\nimported food products before they are declared illegal and
\nwithdrawn from supermarkets and stores.<\/p>\n
BPOM's deputy for food and dangerous substances control Dedi
\nFardiaz revealed on Monday that most imported food products have
\nnot yet been registered.<\/p>\n
He said the agency would not rush to take legal action against
\noffending importers, but would first give early warnings to
\nprevent products from being withdrawn.<\/p>\n
Out of the reported 356 products found on the market last
\nmonth, at least 323 imported food products have yet to receive
\ncertification from the agency, he told a hearing with the House
\nof Representatives' Commission VII on public welfare.<\/p>\n
\"From the 356 products, 29 have been registered with the
\nagency while four others are in the process of obtaining
\ncertification,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Dedi explained that in the process, the importers have to
\nfirst register their imported products with the Indonesian
\nImporters Association (GINSI), which will later hand the list to
\nthe agency.<\/p>\n
\"The agency will then analyze the contents of the products
\nbefore issuing certificates. It takes time, so we have urged
\nimporters to apply to the association before the end of July or
\nelse their products will be recalled.<\/p>\n
\"By then, the association will also know whether the importers
\nare members or not,\" he told journalists after the hearing.<\/p>\n
By law, the agency is entitled to screen imported food
\nproducts before allowing them to be sold on the shelves.<\/p>\n
BPOM has issued several warnings over the products imported
\nfrom 25 countries. The products include instant noodles,
\nchocolate, syrup, juice, canned mushrooms, soft drinks, corned
\nmeat, biscuits, cooking oil, candy, jelly, sauces and wafers.<\/p>\n
The head of the agency, Sampurno, admitted that certain
\nparties had questioned the office's policy, deemed to be
\ndiscriminating and misleading.<\/p>\n
\"We're about to enter the free trade era, so therefore we have
\nto tighten registration on imported food products in a bid to
\nprotect our consumers' health as we don't know what are in the
\nproducts,\" he told the hearing.<\/p>\n
The agency's secretary, Mawarwati Djamaluddin, added that the
\nagency's consumer hotline had recently received complaints and
\nquestions, mostly over the legality of food products. (bby)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/imported-foodstuffs-must-be-registered-1447893297",
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