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