Police deny noodle poisoning in Bogor

JAKARTA (JP): Police speculated yesterday that rotten noodles contributed to the hospitalization of a Bogor family over the weekend.

Maj. Gen. Koesparmono Irsan, national police chief deputy for operational affairs, quoted a local newspaper report that a family of five living in Ciri Mekar village, Cibinong district, Bogor, was hospitalized on Monday after eating instant noodles they purchased at a local warung (streetside shop).

"Police are investigating the case. A preliminary investigation revealed that the family might have consumed noodles which were past their expiry date. But we haven't ruled out the possibility that their illnesses were caused by other factors, since many people consume expired noodles without getting stomach problems," Koesparmono told The Jakarta Post and Kompas.

A local media reported that MT Sihombing and his family suffered stomach upset, vomiting, and spasms several minutes after consuming three packages of noodles Sunday afternoon.

Koesparmono said he traveled to Bogor yesterday to check with local police about the case.

The two-star general cited as an example the case of Sri Purwati, 29, a resident of Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, who was said to have been poisoned on June 26 after consuming a certain brand of noodles.

"Medical examinations conducted later, however, revealed she had been suffering from acute gastroentretis for a long time," he said.

Koesparmono said that ever since the news about poisoned noodles, one of the favorite foods among low-income groups, broke early last month in Lampung and South Sumatra, police have conducted intensive laboratory examinations of the product.

"I insist that according to the results of police laboratory examinations, the product meets the standard of the Ministry of Health on healthy food," he said. (jsk)