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for the end of July for importers to register their imported food products before they are declared illegal and withdrawn from supermarkets and stores.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to take legal action against offending importers, but would first give early warnings to prevent products from being withdrawn.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)