West Jakarta City Government and BBPOM oversee food safety at Kebon Jeruk takjil centre

West Jakarta City Government (Pemkot Jakbar) together with the BBPOM in Jakarta supervised food safety at the takjil centre on Jalan Panjang, Kebon Jeruk, on Thursday afternoon. The West Jakarta Mayor Iin Mutmainnah in Jakarta on Thursday said the food-safety oversight was conducted to ensure the suitability of takjil for public consumption. “Indeed Jalan Panjang is very busy and many people are buying; you can see there are plenty of stallholders here. We focus on ensuring that the foods comprising takjil are safe for the public to eat,” she said. In addition to monitoring takjil safety, Iin said oversight is also conducted at other sites thematically. “If done regularly and thematically, usually during Ramadan for takjil. In other themes, usually before Eid al-Fitr, we will check meat and so on,” she added. At the site, BBPOM officers were seen taking dozens of takjil samples from the stalls lining Jalan Panjang. The samples were taken to BBPOM’s mobile laboratory near the centre for testing of chemical contents. During the inspection, Iin was seen greeting traders and asking about the types and prices of their goods. At one stall, Iin even bought takjil worth Rp735,000. The takjil was then distributed to journalists and the rapid inspection team (sidak) at the site. The trader whose takjil was bought by the Mayor, Desi, expressed thanks to Iin Mutmainnah. Desi also said she was not afraid of the takjil safety inspections at the trading site. “Why should we be afraid? If we are not doing anything unusual, it’s all fine,” Desi, whose wares were almost all bought, said.