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"People who find the food they bought is out of date and spoiled, usually do not know who to complain to," she said.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)