Expired foods flood market

Expired foods flood market

DENPASAR, Bali: Processed and canned goods passed their expiry
dates have been found flooding a number of supermarkets across
the country, a researcher at the Information and Environment
Management Center said Friday.

Ilhamy Elias said such foodstuffs were apparently imported
close to their expiry dates, so that by the time they reached
supermarket shelves, the expiry date had passed.

He did not reveal the amount of expired food found on the
domestic market.

"These foods were imported because they were sold at low
prices," he said, adding that their packages still looked good.
What sellers usually do is to simply change the expiration date
and market them in various places, he said.

Elias said that in Europe or the United States, processed or
canned goods are sold at very low prices once they are six months
away from their expiration date, Antara reported.

"These goods are then imported by some businesspeople in
developing countries, including Indonesia," he added.

Processed or canned goods imported to Indonesia pass through
the Customs and Excise Office first. Several other agencies
inspect them as well but the Ministry of Health's food and drug
supervisory board is the last stop.