JAKARTA: Taiwan’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday (Oct 28) detained more than a tonne of the Indonesian snack product fried meatball crackers (basreng) at the border after detecting the presence of benzoic acid, a preservative that violates the island’s food safety regulations.
Laboratory tests on the batch found 0.05 grams of benzoic acid per kilogram of product, the Taiwan FDA said. The agency noted that benzoic acid is not listed as an approved additive for processed snacks of this kind under Taiwan’s Food Safety and Sanitation Act.
As a result, the products imported by Taiwan Sheba Enterprise Co. from Indonesia’s Isya Food were found to be in violation of the Food Safety and Sanitation Act, leading authorities to order the goods be either returned or destroyed at the border.
The fried crackers were among 11 imported food items, including melons from Japan, radish leaves and mitten crabs from China and lettuce from Malaysia, that recently failed Taiwan’s border inspections.
The latest seizure came a week after authorities intercepted a similar shipment from the same Indonesian producer, Isya Food, following the discovery of the same additive.
On Oct. 21, the Taiwan FDA announced that another tonne of basreng crackers produced by Isya Food had been ordered returned or destroyed after tests found the product contained 0.93 grams of benzoic acid per kg.
Taiwanese authorities have previously flagged Indonesian food products for containing hazardous substances. In September, Taiwan’s FDA flagged the Indonesian instant noodle brand Indomie, specifically its Soto Banjar Limau Kuit flavor, after laboratory tests found traces of ethylene oxide, a chemical classified as toxic and carcinogenic.
“Testing for ethylene oxide and its reaction product 2-chloroethanol in food showed that the seasoning packet contained 0.1 milligrams per kg of ethylene oxide,” the Taiwan FDA said at the time.
The agency urged the public to avoid all Soto Banjar Limau Kuit variants, whether purchased in Taiwan or brought in from overseas, adding that the noncompliant product would be returned or destroyed in accordance with regulations.
However, the BPOM later said its own tests on the same batch produced different results and asserted that it was safe for consumption based on Indonesian standards.
Ethylene oxide is a colorless gas typically used as a pesticide and sterilising agent, including for medical equipment and some food products such as spices and dried herbs.
Its use as a pesticide, however, is banned in Indonesia under Agriculture Ministry Regulation No. 43/2019.
Indonesia’s food export industry has faced a series of contamination cases in recent months, spanning various commodities from shrimp to spices, which have drawn heightened scrutiny from key markets toward the “Made in Indonesia” brand.
In August, the US FDA detected traces of cesium-137 (Cs-137), a radioactive isotope, in a container linked to BMS facilities in Cikande, Banten. Investigations later revealed contamination at a nearby scrap metal facility, PT Peter Metal Technology, located roughly two kilometers away.
In September, the FDA also detected traces of Cs-137 in a clove sample from Indonesia supplied by PT Natural Java Spice. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
