Officials warn of chemicals in local food
Officials warn of chemicals in local food
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Beware of what you eat, for in that appetizing bowl of chicken
noodles there may lurk chemical substances fit only for
fertilizer, furniture or corpses.
Recent investigations by the Jakarta Food and Drug Office (BB-
POM) found more than 60 percent of salted fish, fresh noodles and
tofu sold in Greater Jakarta and Banten contained high levels of
formaldehyde.
BB-POM head Atiek Harwati said on Tuesday that recent bouts of
food poisoning in the country had prompted her office to
investigate the formaldehyde content of food products that were
usually preserved using the substance.
"Our routine investigation of food products in traditional
markets and supermarkets discovered that more than 60 percent of
the samples taken between November and December contained
formaldehyde," she said in a media briefing on Tuesday.
Formaldehyde at room temperature is a colorless, flammable,
strong-smelling gas widely used in the production of fertilizer,
paper, plywood and urea-formaldehyde resins. It is also used for
industrial fungicide, germicide and disinfectant, and as a
preservative in mortuaries and medical laboratories.
It is also normally present in both indoor and outdoor air at
low levels. Materials containing formaldehyde can also release
formaldehyde gas or vapor into the air, and it can also be
released into the air by burning wood, kerosene, natural gas or
cigarettes, through automobile emissions, or from natural
processes.
It became widely used as a preservative in certain foods
because of its cheap price, availability, and the fact that its
use does not have any bearing on production.
Some of the findings include 413 parts of formaldehyde per
million parts of air (ppm) in Aneka Rasa noodles, 168 ppm in
Bintang Terang noodles, 80 ppm in Bintang Terang tofu, and 50 ppm
in Jo's Food noodles.
"The majority of formaldehyde-treated food products, however,
are produced by small household industries without proper brand
names," Atiek said.
The BB-POM's investigation found that fresh fish in Jakarta
and dried noodles did not contain formaldehyde.
A noodle vendor in Palmerah Market in South Jakarta said he
used formaldehyde so his noodles did not go off easily.
"Noodles with formaldehyde can last for a very long time. Even
after immersing them in soup, all you have to do is rinse and dry
them, then you can reuse them another time," he said, adding that
formaldehyde was easily bought at any chemical shop in the city.
When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding
0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience health effects such as
watery eyes, a burning sensation in the eyes, nose, and throat,
coughing, wheezing, nausea and skin irritation.
Excessive intake, on the other hand, could cause severe pain,
vomiting, coma, and possible death.
"It can also cause heart, lung, and brain disorders, as well
as effect the nervous system and kidneys," Atiek said.
The best preservative for salted fish is, of course, salt, she
said, adding that for tofu and noodles no preservatives were
necessary.
Tofu with a high formaldehyde content is usually tougher than
those without preservatives, while formaldehyde-treated fresh
noodles are generally more oily, Atiek explained.
"So watch what you eat, choose foods that are safe for
consumption, clean, and produced according to health standards,"
she said.