Issue of Siomay Made from Catfish, Vendors Request Enforcement Without Shutting Down Businesses

JAKARTA — The proposal for oversight of processed foods made from wild catfish has received a positive response from siomay vendors in West Jakarta. They support the move for consumer safety but hope that enforcement will be carried out wisely so as not to kill off the livelihoods of small traders. This was stated by Wandi (56), a siomay vendor in the Cengkareng area of West Jakarta, who has been running his business for 25 years. “Well, I agree with it, but as long as it doesn’t shut down the business. We’re all just trying to make a living, all traders,” said Wandi when met by Kompas.com at the location on Monday (20/4/2026). According to Wandi, the use of catfish by rogue vendors is usually driven by economic pressures and the high price of main ingredients. To save capital, some rogues switch to catfish meat, which costs only between Rp 25,000 and Rp 35,000 per kilogram. This figure is a far cry from the price of mackerel, which is now nearly Rp 100,000 per kilogram. “But there are also those whose catfish come from ponds, but they’re more expensive, yes,” said Wandi. Although aware of the profit margin, Wandi claims he has never been tempted to use it. To counter the surge in ingredient prices, he chooses a safer strategy, mixing the siomay dough with flour or chicken meat. Angga (31), a siomay vendor in Palmerah, West Jakarta, expressed a similar view. He agrees that food ingredients dangerous to public health should indeed be strictly monitored by the authorities. “Honestly, I don’t really know, but if it’s dangerous, containing whatever that’s harmful, then it shouldn’t be used, especially if it’s taken from the river canal, the catfish,” said Angga. Like Wandi, Angga also has his own way of maintaining taste quality without using dubious-quality catfish. The siomay sold by Angga is made using tuna meat mixed with mackerel. According to Angga, besides not drastically changing the flavour, the tuna mixture also keeps the siomay colour bright and the meat tender, unlike siomay based on catfish, which tends to be darker in colour.