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.