U.S. beef confiscated in Mataram

U.S. beef confiscated in Mataram

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: The Mataram office of the Food and
Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has seized 326 kilograms of beef
that originated from the United States, where a case of mad-cow
disease was revealed recently.

Sri Utami Ekaningtyas, the head of BPOM in Mataram, said that
the meat was confiscated from PT SJ, a supplier to the gold and
copper mining company PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara.

She said that, for the time being, the Mataram office of BPOM
would investigate whether the meat, intended for delivery to the
company, was infected with the disease.

If the meat were infected, it would surely be destroyed, she
said.

Strict measures have been taken by the BPOM after a single
case of meat contaminated with bovine spongiform encephalopathy
or mad-cow disease, was confirmed on Dec. 23 in the United
States. The news has raised concern over the safety of meat sold
there as well as in other countries, including Indonesia. --
Antara