Some snacks are hazardous

SEMARANG: The Consumer Protection and Development Institute says that many snacks sold by vendors in local schools use substances that could be hazardous to people's health.

The Institute said a recent study, based on samples of 40 kinds of snacks, that saccharine and monosodium glutamate were extensively used in foods.

Some of the snacks also contained pathogen bacteria and other dangerous elements, Nila Ardhianie, an executive of the institute, told Antara.

The food samples taken included meatballs, chicken porridge and bakwan.

Among the most commonly found bacteria are E coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

"The bacteria causes diarrhea and an overproduction of saliva in children," she said. (05)