Papua quarantine authority rejects 14 tonnes of chicken meat from Surabaya

Jayapura — Papua’s Large-Scale Animal, Fish, and Plant Quarantine Centre (Balai Besar Karantina Hewan, Ikan, dan Tumbuhan Papua) has rejected the import of 14 tonnes of chicken meat from Surabaya at Jayapura Port because it was found to be contaminated with microbes exceeding safe thresholds.

The Acting Head of Papua’s Quarantine Centre, Krisna Dwiharniati, announced the rejection on Tuesday in Jayapura, describing it as a decisive government action to protect the public from potential foodborne illness risks, particularly ahead of Eid al-Fitr 1447 H.

The discovery began during routine inspection and monitoring of commodities arriving by cargo vessel on 28 February. Although the chicken meat was administratively compliant, possessing valid quarantine certificates from the point of origin, physical inspection revealed significant discrepancies in the product’s condition.

“The chicken meat was found to be liquefying, had a soft texture, and emitted an abnormal pungent odour,” Dwiharniati stated.

Laboratory testing by Papua’s Quarantine Centre confirmed the contamination. The Total Plate Count (TPC), which measures total microbial contamination, exceeded the Nilai Ambang Batas (NAB) — the maximum threshold stipulated in Indonesian National Standard SNI 7388:2009 on maximum microbial contamination limits in foodstuffs.

Following these results, all 14 tonnes of chicken meat were rejected immediately and returned to the point of departure.

“We will not tolerate commodities that endanger public health,” Dwiharniati said. “We will continue strengthening cooperation with customs authorities, port authorities, security forces, and business operators to ensure compliance with quarantine reporting obligations and enhance surveillance of commodities entering Papua.”