ID :
24264
Tue, 10/14/2008 - 13:48
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https://oananews.org//node/24264
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News Focus: AFTER CHINESE CONTAMINATED MILK, NOW INDONESIAN BISCUITS IN VIETNAM ACCUSED OF CONTAINING MELAMINE By Eliswan Azly
Jakarta, Oct 13 (ANTARA) - After the public in Indonesia became confused over the Chinese melamine contaminated milk, which had dealt a hard blow to the marketing of Chinese products on international markets, now it is the turn of Indonesian biscuits to be accused of containing melamine.
Earlier last week, Director Director of Domestic Trade Subagyo admitted to have received a letter from the Vietnamese Health Authorities to that effect through the Indonesian Embassy in Hanoi, saying that Indonesian-made Khong Guan biscuits exported to that country might have been contaminated with melamine.
The Trade Ministry then asked the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to investigate the case. The letter from the Vietnamese government was received not long after the issue on melamine-contaminated Chinese dairy products surfaced.
While the letter from the Vietnamese health authorities said that the melamine level found in that country was very low, around 265 micrograms per kilogram, Subagyo was still not satisfied with the report and a test should be conducted on Khong Guan biscuits.
"Based on the results of our own tests, the product (biscuits) is not contaminated with melamine," the head of the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), Husniah Rubiana Thamrin Akib, said here Monday.
She said the government had tested Khong Guan biscuits to see whether they contained melamine -- a chemical used in the production of plastics and fertilizers. The test was done in accredited laboratories both in Vietnam and Indonesia.
The outcome of both tests showed no melamine in the Indonesian biscuits. The results were negative. Even with the LC MSMS method which has a sensitivity of up to one part per billion, no melamine was detected," Husniah said, adding that the BPOM would send the results of its cross-tests to the Vietnamese health authorities.
"Earlier, the Vietnamese government said it would revise its statement after we have submitted the results of our tests. This is strange, what is going on here," she added.
The government had also questioned the reasons for the Vietnamese government to examine Indonesian food products for melamime content.
"Because since the beginning after the melamine-contaminted Chinese dairy products surfaced, we have made it clear that our food producers do not import dairy products from China. Our products are safe because we import milk from Europe, Australia and New Zealand," Husniah said.
Likewise, the producer of Khong Guan biscuits did not import Chinese milk.
In September 2007, Chinese milk was reported to be contaminated with melamine. In China in the case four babies died of kidney failure and caused thousands others to be hospitalized.
In the meantime, Indonesia has to find out what had caused the Vietnamse Health Authority to suspect melimine in Khong Guan biscuits. Eventually a case on ticking trading of food product was uncovered, as many food industries in Vietname tacitly mixed lime into wheat flour as biscuit ingredients.
According to a DPA report, the police in that country said the reason of biscuit businessmen to mix lime with wheat was just aimed at streamlining production cost in making biscuits.
Then the police found biscuits which contained lime flour last week when raiding three food factories in a district near Hanoi.
Phan Van Vien of the police department said that his side could not disclose the sanction to be imposed on them. Those food factories had yet to register the contents of biscuits at the local trademark agency and therefore they could not be charged with selling fake products.
The only sanction we can impose on them is for violating health food standards, Vien said.
The police said one kilogram of biscuits could contain 30 to 39 percent lime flour. The lime-mixed biscuits are priced Rp4,500 a kg, while the price of pure biscuit may reach Rp5,500 a kg.
The possibility of using the trademark or label of Indonesian Khong Guan biscuits in marketting their lime mixed biscuits was big. The police still had to broaden investigation into possible misuse of Khong Guan biscuits. The Vietnamese police had confiscated around 8.5 tons of contaminated biscuits, Vien was quoted as saying.
Earlier this week, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung instructed local government agencies to intensively combat contaminated food.
However, the Vietnamese health authority allowed producers to use carbon calcium for food product and unfortunately the regulation failed to set its maximum use for food production.
With regard to this condition and the results of the BPOM findings, the Indonesian government has sent a protest to the Vietnamese government about the latter's statement about alleged melamine-contaminated Khong Guan biscuits made in Indonesia.
"Today, we sent a written protest to the Vietnamese government through the Indonesian embassy in Hanoi with copies to the Indonesian Trade Ministry. The ministry should also send a protest because according to the results of our tests, the product is not contaminated with melamine," Husniah reiterated.
Earlier last week, Director Director of Domestic Trade Subagyo admitted to have received a letter from the Vietnamese Health Authorities to that effect through the Indonesian Embassy in Hanoi, saying that Indonesian-made Khong Guan biscuits exported to that country might have been contaminated with melamine.
The Trade Ministry then asked the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to investigate the case. The letter from the Vietnamese government was received not long after the issue on melamine-contaminated Chinese dairy products surfaced.
While the letter from the Vietnamese health authorities said that the melamine level found in that country was very low, around 265 micrograms per kilogram, Subagyo was still not satisfied with the report and a test should be conducted on Khong Guan biscuits.
"Based on the results of our own tests, the product (biscuits) is not contaminated with melamine," the head of the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), Husniah Rubiana Thamrin Akib, said here Monday.
She said the government had tested Khong Guan biscuits to see whether they contained melamine -- a chemical used in the production of plastics and fertilizers. The test was done in accredited laboratories both in Vietnam and Indonesia.
The outcome of both tests showed no melamine in the Indonesian biscuits. The results were negative. Even with the LC MSMS method which has a sensitivity of up to one part per billion, no melamine was detected," Husniah said, adding that the BPOM would send the results of its cross-tests to the Vietnamese health authorities.
"Earlier, the Vietnamese government said it would revise its statement after we have submitted the results of our tests. This is strange, what is going on here," she added.
The government had also questioned the reasons for the Vietnamese government to examine Indonesian food products for melamime content.
"Because since the beginning after the melamine-contaminted Chinese dairy products surfaced, we have made it clear that our food producers do not import dairy products from China. Our products are safe because we import milk from Europe, Australia and New Zealand," Husniah said.
Likewise, the producer of Khong Guan biscuits did not import Chinese milk.
In September 2007, Chinese milk was reported to be contaminated with melamine. In China in the case four babies died of kidney failure and caused thousands others to be hospitalized.
In the meantime, Indonesia has to find out what had caused the Vietnamse Health Authority to suspect melimine in Khong Guan biscuits. Eventually a case on ticking trading of food product was uncovered, as many food industries in Vietname tacitly mixed lime into wheat flour as biscuit ingredients.
According to a DPA report, the police in that country said the reason of biscuit businessmen to mix lime with wheat was just aimed at streamlining production cost in making biscuits.
Then the police found biscuits which contained lime flour last week when raiding three food factories in a district near Hanoi.
Phan Van Vien of the police department said that his side could not disclose the sanction to be imposed on them. Those food factories had yet to register the contents of biscuits at the local trademark agency and therefore they could not be charged with selling fake products.
The only sanction we can impose on them is for violating health food standards, Vien said.
The police said one kilogram of biscuits could contain 30 to 39 percent lime flour. The lime-mixed biscuits are priced Rp4,500 a kg, while the price of pure biscuit may reach Rp5,500 a kg.
The possibility of using the trademark or label of Indonesian Khong Guan biscuits in marketting their lime mixed biscuits was big. The police still had to broaden investigation into possible misuse of Khong Guan biscuits. The Vietnamese police had confiscated around 8.5 tons of contaminated biscuits, Vien was quoted as saying.
Earlier this week, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung instructed local government agencies to intensively combat contaminated food.
However, the Vietnamese health authority allowed producers to use carbon calcium for food product and unfortunately the regulation failed to set its maximum use for food production.
With regard to this condition and the results of the BPOM findings, the Indonesian government has sent a protest to the Vietnamese government about the latter's statement about alleged melamine-contaminated Khong Guan biscuits made in Indonesia.
"Today, we sent a written protest to the Vietnamese government through the Indonesian embassy in Hanoi with copies to the Indonesian Trade Ministry. The ministry should also send a protest because according to the results of our tests, the product is not contaminated with melamine," Husniah reiterated.
