East Jakarta City Government monitors takjil at Rawamangun Market
Jakarta East City Government (Pemkot Jaktim) is supervising the food safety of takjil at several locations around Pasar Rawamangun, Pulogadung, East Jakarta.
“Currently I am meeting with the Jakarta Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BBPOM), which is also present at Pasar Rawamangun for the purpose of monitoring food safety during Ramadan,” said East Jakarta Mayor Munjirin at Pasar Rawamangun, Pulogadung, East Jakarta, on Friday afternoon.
He explained that the activity is a follow-up to DKI Jakarta Governor Regulation No. 113 of 2017 on the Integrated Food Safety Management to anticipate Extraordinary Events (KLB) of food poisoning, particularly during Ramadan.
In addition, this surveillance is routinely conducted during Ramadan to safeguard takjil safety, provide a sense of security for the public, and protect the public from the possibility of consuming hazardous ingredients in food.
Officials collected 35 samples of foods from 10 takjil traders in the area, including crackers, acar (pickles), moist cakes, fruit ice, and others.
“Earlier, samples from several foods here—around 35 types of foods—were taken and tested directly at the market,” said Munjirin.
The hazardous chemicals that officers aim to anticipate include borax, formalin, and textile dyes commonly used by unscrupulous traders.
“There are several main hazardous substances we test for: borax, formalin, metanil yellow and Rhodamin B. We test on-site,” Munjirin said.
The team involved in takjil oversight comprises the Ministry of Health, DKI Jakarta Health Office, the East Jakarta Health Office, local puskesmas (community health centres), Civil Service Police (Satpol PP), East Jakarta Transportation Sub-Department, and cross-sector support from related agencies.
Meanwhile, the head of BBPOM Jakarta, Sofiyani Chandrawati, explained that the activity not only collects samples but also provides education to vendors and the public regarding food safety during Ramadan.
“Today we are conducting sampling, testing, and education for traders and the public regarding ready-to-eat foods or takjil during Ramadan,” said Sofiyani.
The surveillance activity began at 16:15 WIB, with inspectors directly approaching several vendor tents along Pasar Rawamangun and requesting samples for testing.
Vendors were also asked for telephone numbers and home addresses for mentoring if hazardous chemicals are found in foods sold.
Those selling goods cooperated by providing items for sampling.
Rhodamine B is a synthetic dye from the fluorescein group commonly used in the textile, paper, and cosmetic industries. Chemically, Rhodamine B has the formula C28H31ClN2O3 and produces a bright red colour.
Borax is a chemical compound also known as sodium tetraborate (Na2B4O7·10H2O). It is a white crystalline substance easily soluble in water and commonly used in cleaning products, wood preservatives, detergents, and glass.
Finally, formalin is a solution containing formaldehyde (CH2O) around 37-40 percent in water. This substance is commonly used in industry as a disinfectant, embalming preservative, and as a raw material for plastics and textiles.