Residents in rural areas unaware of food labels
Residents in rural areas unaware of food labels
BOGOR, West Java (JP): Many people in rural areas do not
understand the function of expiration dates on food and drink
packaging, an expert said Saturday.
Consumers do not see labels as important sources of
information, Sri Arbani Riantini of the Bogor Institute of
Agriculture said.
"Consumers tend to overlook the expiration dates on food
labels, and only see the brand names," Sri, a member of the
Institute's Center of Research and Food Technology Development
said.
Sri has conducted a study on people as food product consumers
in Bogor.
Luckily, despite the ignorance, no one has been reported dead
due to eating expired food products, she said.
But consumers feel cheated when they buy expired food, she
said.
"People who find the food they bought is out of date and
spoiled, usually do not know who to complain to," she said.
Some consumers complained to the shops where they bought the
products, but do not usually get satisfying responses, she added.
To avoid buying expired food, she said, people should examine
the expiration dates and permits on the packaging before buying.
Expired food products are often found in gift packages, which
many buy for Idul Fitri celebrations.
Arbani said many food manufacturers still do not have the
required permits. These are small scale manufacturers which make
less than Rp 5 million in profits.
According to Arbani, only four out of the 15 producers who
responded to the survey had the required permits to manufacture
food.
Although manufacturers are required to obtain permits, "many
of them can get away without permits for a long time," she said.
"The lack of firm action against those without permits
encourages producers to keep violating the law," she added.
The new Food Law passed last November stipulates food labels
must bear the product's name, material, weight, expiration date,
halal authorization, and the name and address of the food
producer and distributor.
Earlier, the State Minister of Food, Ibrahim Hasan, said
violators faced up to five years in jail or a fine of up to Rp
600 million.
Food producers found guilty of giving false information, or of
not labeling products, face a three-year jail sentence or a Rp
360 million in fine.
The law will be effective for small scale food producers after
they have been given training on food labeling.
Arbani urged the media to make people aware of the importance
of food labeling through television and radio commercials.
(24/02)