'Four jamu makers made toxic brew'

'Four jamu makers made toxic brew'

Agus Maryono, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto

Police in the Central Java town of Cilacap said on Monday they
were still investigating four major jamu (traditional herbal
medicine) companies on charges of allegedly mixing their products
with a potentially dangerous chemical substance.

Three of companies are PT Jamu Serbuk Manjur, PT Jamu Purba
Salma and PT Jamu Sinar Laba-Laba are based in Kroya subdistrict.
The fourth is PT Jamu Serbuk Super which is in Sampang town.

The police also arrested the owner of PT Sinar Laba-Laba, 40-
year old Johan Sarijo, confiscated dozens of truckloads of his
company's products and halted production.

The legal action followed a report from the Food and Beverage
Supervisory Agency (POM) in Jakarta that jamu produced by the
four companies was tainted with unregulated chemical substances.

"The POM office commenced an examination two weeks ago, and
the results prompted us to act," the chief of the Cilacap Police
Precinct, Adj. Sr. Comr. Bambang Sudarisman told The Jakarta Post
here on Monday.

He said the POM office had recommended that legal action be
taken against the four accused firms.

Bambang said that according to the findings by the agency, the
four jamu factories have used dexamitason, a chemical substance
which is hazardous to humans.

Chairul Mufied, head of the Banyumas district health office,
confirmed on Monday that dexamitason could cause a kidney damage
if consumed in the long term.

Bambang said further that nine employees and pharmacists from
the companies were questioned as witnesses in the case, adding
that their bosses would be summoned and they might be held as
suspects if the evidence is sufficient to charge them.

The firms are the largest among the total of 680 jamu
producers, which were registered with the Aneka Sari Traditional
Jamu Cooperatives in Cilacap. Each of the four employs
approximately 1,500 people and their products have mostly been
marketed outside of Java.

Meanwhile, PT Jamu Serbuk Manjur Sumadiharjo on Monday
criticized any health officials for failing to prevent jamu
producers from mixing their products with the hazardous chemical
substance.

"They have regularly toured the factories. After that they did
nothing. With the absence of any warnings from the government, we
are led to believe that we have no problems with our products,"
said Sumadiharjo, who is also an executive of the Cooperatives.

He added that jamu companies had expected new innovations from
health office experts to be applied in their factories to improve
the quality of their products.