House passes food bill into law

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives approved a government-sponsored food bill yesterday which will guarantee food safety, create a climate of fair and responsible trade of foodstuffs and help small-scale food industries to thrive.

The bill was passed into law yesterday by all four factions of the House -- the Armed Forces, Golkar, Indonesian Democratic Party and United Development Party -- after almost four months of deliberations.

State Minister of Food Ibrahim Hasan said in a plenary meeting of the House yesterday the food law is aimed at regulating foodstuffs to be distributed and sold, but is not applicable for food produced and consumed by private households.

"The goal of regulating, supervising and controlling foodstuffs is to obtain food which meets safety, quality and nutrition requirements... and to create a climate of fair and responsible food trade," Ibrahim said.

He said the regulation is also expected to create a sound level of national food security, where prices are reasonable and affordable to the public.

The food law, when enacted after being signed by President Soeharto, will help Indonesia face challenges that may arise with the implementation of the World Trade Organization rules in the next century, he said.

"A set of regulations can help Indonesia increase and maintain its role in the world food market, while at the same time protecting its domestic consumers," he said.

He said if food producers meet the requirements stipulated by the food law, they will be able to compete on both the domestic and world markets.

"All the conditions and penalties stated in this law are aimed at protecting public health and safety," he said.

Requirements

Commenting on food safety, Ibrahim said the regulation contains requirements on sanitation, food additives, genetic engineering, food irradiation, food packaging, quality control, laboratory food and quality testing, and food labeling and advertising.

"These requirements will apply to both domestic and foreign products," he said.

Ibrahim said, however, that in cases of emergency -- when the issue of food security becomes an urgent one -- the government may temporarily disregard the rulings on food security, labeling, quality and nutrition requirements.

Meanwhile, House members urged the government to introduce additional rulings for the implementation of the law as soon as possible.

A spokesperson for the Armed Forces faction, M. Situmorang, said once the law is backed up by such rulings, it can be disseminated to the public and enforced by related government institutions.

A spokesman for the United Development Party's faction, Masrur Javas, said labeling for food packages, including those indicating that the food is halal -- or acceptable by Islamic standards -- should not increase food prices.

"By applying the halal labeling, consumers will have a greater feeling of security," Masrur said. (pwn)