Degenerative diseases threaten children

JAKARTA (JP): The future of Indonesia will be "horrifying" as the younger generation will be prone to rampant degenerative diseases due to the wrong consumption pattern.

Such an expectation is no exaggeration if we look at the research conducted by the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) last May and June on snacks sold by food vendors in the vicinities of elementary schools in South Jakarta.

The research showed that the snacks contained food substances which have even been prohibited by the government because they could cause degenerative diseases.

"There is no data so far showing that people are getting degenerative diseases due to consuming snacks from food vendors but our research has shown that they often contain substances which give rise to such diseases," YLKI researcher Ilyani Sudradjat said.

The research showed that 47 percent of the 17 food samples contained prohibited synthetic colorants, like Rhodamine B, which in laboratory studies has been shown to cause the growth of coarse body hair, aggressiveness, nervousness and slow growth, and Metanil Yellow, a substance known to be a carcinogen.

"Surprisingly, the Indonesian government still gives permit for the distribution of colorants which have been prohibited in other countries like Sweden, the United States of America and even by the World Health Organization. These substances include Tartrazine, Brilliant Blue, Ponceau 4R and Carmoisine," Ilyani said.

The foodstuffs' also contained dangerous sweeteners like Saccharine which was found in 63.6 percent of the samples. Saccharine can cause cancer in the urinary system. Another dangerous substance found was Cyclamate which can cause damage to chromosomes and was found in 27.3 percent of the samples.

The research also showed that 12.5 percent of the food samples contained borax, which is usually used as a preservative or to produce a rubbery effect in certain kinds of foodstuff.

"Borax has actually been prohibited in Indonesia because it can damage the metabolic system and reproductive organs. But the substance can easily be found in markets," Ilyani added.

In fact, dangerous substances are not only found in "cheap" snacks but also in those produced by big manufacturers as was shown by a 1999 survey by the Kakak Foundation on child consumers. Ilyani said that he problem was mostly due to the lack of government control.(ind)