Food laws to regulate 'halal' label: Soeharto

Food laws to regulate 'halal' label: Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday that all halal food packages must, in the future, bear a label stating the contents are suitable for Moslems to consume.

State Minister of Food Ibrahim Hasan told reporters after meeting with the President at the latter's residence on Jl. Cendana here that the labeling will be obligatory, so Moslems can be sure whether or not they can consume the food.

Ibrahim said the requirement will be included in the Food Law, which is currently being formulated, and will be enforced by a government regulation.

"The bill (for the Food Law) is still being worked on," Ibrahim said.

He added his office will take coordinative actions with the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the Indonesian Ulemas Council.

Aside from the issue of the halal labeling, Ibrahim also informed Soeharto on the food structure and composition of the average Indonesian diet, which is presently about 3,000 calories a day.

"But we must be careful because 65 percent of this amount is derived from carbohydrates. And 75 percent of the carbohydrate comes from rice," he said.

Ibrahim pointed out that Indonesians must cut back their consumption of rice and diversify their diet to include other sources of carbohydrates such as corn, flour, sago flour, soybeans and potatoes.

But he acknowledged that farmers are still finding it difficult to get good-quality and sufficient quantities of seeds for such commodities.

To rectify this, Ibrahim said, Soeharto has asked agricultural researchers to formulate new types of high-quality seedlings which can be used by farmers.

Indonesia currently imports some 70,000 tons of potatoes each year because the quality of local products has not yet met the standards of food processing plants.

Ibrahim said there is currently ample opportunity for foreign investors to join hands with local business people to develop such commodities. (pwn)