350 Food Price Violations Uncovered by Task Force! 4 Cases Escalated to Court
Jakarta – The rapid response of the Food Price Task Force (Satgas Saber Pangan) during Ramadan, Nyepi, and Idul Fitri 2026 is beginning to show results.
During three weeks of monitoring from 5–25 February 2026, 350 violations were sanctioned and four cases were processed for legal action. The data emerged during the fourth week of February’s Analysis and Evaluation Meeting (Anev) chaired by Central Food Task Force Commander Brigadier General Zain Dwi Nugroho.
A total of 28,270 business locations were monitored. Broken down, there were 18,864 traders or retailers, 4,413 modern retail outlets, and 2,461 distributors or producers. The task force also coordinated 898 stock replenishment efforts and conducted 35 laboratory sampling tests.
Beyond warning letters, of the 350 violations recorded, there was one recommendation for business licence revocation, three recommendations for product circulation permit revocation, and four law enforcement actions.
Secretary General of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), Sarwo Edhy, called on all task force personnel to consistently maintain price stability during national religious holidays.
“During Ramadan and Idul Fitri, we hope to be able to fulfil our duty to stabilise prices throughout Indonesia. There should be no price fluctuations. I would like to thank the food price task force for carrying out this coordination meeting, so that we can all achieve our common objectives,” he said on Sunday, 1 March 2026.
Sarwo emphasised that monitoring was conducted comprehensively in both traditional markets and modern retail outlets. If prices were found above the maximum retail price (HET) or maximum reference price (HAP), the distribution chain would be traced back to its source.
“For example, if beef is priced at Rp145,000, we negotiate. The approach is not to immediately shift it; they may have ways of reducing the price value by requiring customers to purchase 2 kilograms to get a price of Rp140,000. In this regard, meat that might be expensive is traced all the way back to the slaughterhouse,” he said.
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Zain emphasised that all enforcement actions must be carried out in accordance with established procedures and regulations.
“For premium rice prices, please maintain stable prices in line with the HET. (Zone 1) which is the Jakarta Greater Area zone. In enforcement, always prioritise adherence to procedure in accordance with established regulations,” said Zain.
He also viewed the increased intensity of monitoring as evidence of the government’s seriousness in keeping the market conducive.
“What colleagues are doing is a symbol of government presence amongst the community. The activities we have carried out show increased inspection checks, which is good because it demonstrates that the government is taking this matter seriously,” he said.