Consumers establish watchdog

Consumers establish watchdog

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

When the fast-food restaurant he stopped at for dinner served up
rat droppings in his bowl of rice, Wirawan had no idea what to do
beyond complaining to the restaurant manager, who refused to
offer an explanation.

What recourse do consumers have other than the Indonesian
Consumers Foundation (YLKI) when facing specific problems with
food products?

The Foundation for Health and Food Products Consumer
Protection (LPK2P), which formally opened its doors on Friday,
hopes to provide what people like Wirawan need when nobody else
is willing to listen or take action.

Marthin Ismawan, the chairman of the LPK2P, said the
organization was founded by people concerned with the current
situation in which many food and health products were in
violation of the law.

"Many products are out there without expiration dates and
there are products that have not been registered with the Food
and Drug Control Agency," Marthin said.

He encouraged the public to be more concerned and critical
toward the products they consume, and to report any problems they
encounter to the foundation at 4288-9208.

"We will first engage in talks with the consumer and the
company that provided the product in dispute, and only if this
fails will we file formal charges against the company."

Marthin said that within the next two weeks the foundation
planned to conduct surveys to determine whether medicine and food
companies were being responsible toward consumers by complying
with the law.

The foundation will identify and classify companies into three
categories: those that are being honest and totally compliant
with consumer protection laws; those that are less compliant; and
companies that are dishonest and blatantly break the law.

The secretary-general of the LPK2P foundation, Sabam Silaban,
said a recent survey by the organization found that two out of
three food supplement stores at a mall in South Jakarta were
selling products that had not been registered with the
appropriate government agency.

Marthin said the foundation would work with a number of non-
governmental organizations and government agencies, as well as
the YLKI, to assist consumers with complaints. (004)