Instant noodles off the menu

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Recent reports that dozens of people suffered food poisoning after eating instant noodles have taken its toll on the giant manufacturer PT Indofood Sukses Makmur.

The company said its province-wide sales tumbled by as much as 50 percent in the past month since the first reports started coming in.

The company is now rerouting its surplus noodle products to other nearby provinces, South Sumatra manager Teddy Pranatio announced, as reported by the Antara news agency.

Five people were killed and dozens of others hospitalized early this month, reportedly after consuming instant noodles.

Health authorities investigating the case later found that there was nothing wrong with the noodles and that the source of the poisoning could have come either from the water or utensils used to cook them.

Teddy said his company had also carried out its own investigation, checking on stores which might be selling its noodle products past their expiration dates or with broken wrappings.

Indofood plans to launch a campaign at leading stores to regain public confidence, he said.(arf)