Imported foodstuffs must be registered
Imported foodstuffs must be registered
JAKARTA (JP): The Food and Drug Control Agency (BPOM) has set
the deadline for the end of July for importers to register their
imported food products before they are declared illegal and
withdrawn from supermarkets and stores.
BPOM's deputy for food and dangerous substances control Dedi
Fardiaz revealed on Monday that most imported food products have
not yet been registered.
He said the agency would not rush to take legal action against
offending importers, but would first give early warnings to
prevent products from being withdrawn.
Out of the reported 356 products found on the market last
month, at least 323 imported food products have yet to receive
certification from the agency, he told a hearing with the House
of Representatives' Commission VII on public welfare.
"From the 356 products, 29 have been registered with the
agency while four others are in the process of obtaining
certification," he said.
Dedi explained that in the process, the importers have to
first register their imported products with the Indonesian
Importers Association (GINSI), which will later hand the list to
the agency.
"The agency will then analyze the contents of the products
before issuing certificates. It takes time, so we have urged
importers to apply to the association before the end of July or
else their products will be recalled.
"By then, the association will also know whether the importers
are members or not," he told journalists after the hearing.
By law, the agency is entitled to screen imported food
products before allowing them to be sold on the shelves.
BPOM has issued several warnings over the products imported
from 25 countries. The products include instant noodles,
chocolate, syrup, juice, canned mushrooms, soft drinks, corned
meat, biscuits, cooking oil, candy, jelly, sauces and wafers.
The head of the agency, Sampurno, admitted that certain
parties had questioned the office's policy, deemed to be
discriminating and misleading.
"We're about to enter the free trade era, so therefore we have
to tighten registration on imported food products in a bid to
protect our consumers' health as we don't know what are in the
products," he told the hearing.
The agency's secretary, Mawarwati Djamaluddin, added that the
agency's consumer hotline had recently received complaints and
questions, mostly over the legality of food products. (bby)