Formaldehyde-Laced Noodles Produced in Former Chicken Coop Found to Have Been in Circulation for Nine Months
Bandung — The start of the fasting month has been marked by the exposure of dangerous food crimes in West Java. The West Java Regional Police, through its Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation (Ditreskrimsus), uncovered the production of wet noodles preserved using formaldehyde and borax.
Police also revealed a home-based operation that was repackaging expired food products for redistribution to the public.
Director of Special Criminal Investigation at West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Wirdhanto Hadicaksono, said his team raided a noodle factory containing borax and formaldehyde operating out of a former chicken coop in the Garut area of West Java on 13 February 2026.
During the raid, officers seized wet noodles that had been mixed with borax and formaldehyde and were ready for distribution to market. Raw materials including formaldehyde and borax compounds, as well as packaging machinery used for distribution, were also confiscated.
“In the formaldehyde and borax wet noodle case, we have named WK (65) as a suspect. In addition, five witnesses who were workers have also been secured, as they were instructed by WK to produce the dangerous noodles,” said Wirdhanto on Thursday, 19 February 2026.
Investigations revealed that WK is a recidivist with previous similar offences who frequently relocated his production site to evade law enforcement.
Each day, the suspect was capable of producing between 700 kilogrammes and one tonne of wet noodles containing borax and formaldehyde. The illegal operation had been running for nine months, with the products distributed to a number of traditional markets in the Garut area.
“From this illicit business, the suspect earned profits of approximately Rp600,000 to Rp700,000 per day, or up to Rp21 million per month,” he said.
The revelations did not stop there. At a separate location in the Sumedang area, Ditreskrimsus also uncovered the practice of altering expiry dates on various food products, ranging from biscuits and packaged milk to yoghurt.
Police named one suspect with the initials JSP, the owner of a waste management company who had been misusing expired food products by reselling them to small shops in the Sumedang area. Some of the products were even intended for distribution as Lebaran gift hampers.
Suspect WK has been charged under the Food Law, carrying a maximum prison sentence of five years and fines of up to Rp10 billion. Meanwhile, suspect JSP has been charged under the Consumer Protection Law, carrying a maximum sentence of two years’ imprisonment and fines of up to Rp4 billion.