Indonesia’s food and drugs agency (BPOM) has assured the public that Indofood instant noodle products are safe for consumption, after a recent recall in Taiwan on one of its products for containing carcinogenic compound, Ethylene Oxide.
In late April, the Taipei city health department recalled ‘Special Chicken’ flavour Indomie, a popular Indonesian instant noodle variety produced by Indofood CBP’s, claiming that traces of the compound had been found on the seasoning packets of the product which can elevate cancer risks to consumers.
Neighbouring country, Malaysia has also ordered checks on the same product at all entry points and asked Indofood to recall it.
Indofood CBP, a packaged food subsidiary of Indofood Sukses Makmur, is the producer and also one of the largest manufacturer of instant noodles with more than 20 production sites globally and its products being sold in more than 100 countries.
Indofood later issued a statement that “All instant noodles produced by Indofood CBP in Indonesia are processed in compliance with the food safety standards from the Codex Standard for Instant Noodles and standards set by the Indonesian National Agency for Drug and Food Control. Our instant noodles have received Indonesian National Standard Certification (SNI), and are produced in certified production facilities based on international standards.”
Indonesia consumer watchdog however has advised Indofood to examine its products. Indofood last year recorded US$4.41 billion in sales for its packaged food products.
The news however has caught many Indonesian consumers by surprise as Indomie is a favourite instant noodle brand for many Indonesians. This has certainly affected consumption of Indomie products during that month. Indomie is Indonesia’s most popular instant noodle brand, with the latest survey by Katadata Insight Center (KIC) showing that over 88 % of Indonesians consumed Indomie last year.
