Police deny noodle poisoning in Bogor

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)