Prioritize Consumer Safety

The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency, needs to ensure that plastic-packaging products circulating in the community are safe to use. The guarantee of public safety in accessing food products must be prioritized.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

A pile of refilled polycarbonate bottled water is ready to be brought to Muara Gembong at the mouth of Kali Rawa Malang, Cilincing, North Jakarta, Wednesday (21/9/2022).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The guarantee of public safety and security in accessing food products must be prioritized in the formulation of policies related to processed food packaging. Education and dissemination of information to the public regarding the proper use of plastic packaging also needs to be more massive.

The chairman of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation, Tulus Badi, said that plastic packaging is increasingly being used by the public. However, despite its practicality, plastic packaging must be watched out for. Like a double-edged sword, inappropriate use of plastic can have a negative impact on food safety and environmental security. “In the context of the use of plastic packaging, we must look at the dimensions of food safety and environmental security, so it is necessary to ensure that the plastic packaging used in the community is truly safe, and will not have an impact on the environment after it becomes garbage. Microplastics can also have an impact on health," he said in Jakarta, on Thursday (22/9/2022).

According to Tulus, the regulator, namely the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), needs to ensure that plastic-packaging products circulating in the community are safe to use, both for food and beverages. Supervision needs to be carried out starting from upstream at the producer level to downstream, when it is marketed widely.

In addition, the public needs to be educated about the correct and proper use of plastic packaging. “Plastic packaging that is declared safe can be dangerous if not used properly. There is some plastic packaging that can even be dangerous and cause pollution to food if boiled or exposed to direct sunlight,” he said.

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For this reason, Tulus said, educating residents about the safe and proper use of plastic packaging is very important. In addition to marking the plastic in the form of a plastic packaging code, a detailed warning label must be attached. Public knowledge about marking codes and types of plastic packaging is still lacking.

Warnings in the form of labels on plastic packaging, among others, can contain warnings not to use the packaging on hot food or drinks, not to use it for cooking or boiling or other warnings that should also be avoided.

In addition, halal labels are also required, in accordance with the rules regarding halal product guarantees. “Dissemination of information about plastic packaging on food products is important because people's understanding of the meaning of marking on plastic packaging is minimal. Not many people are aware of the dangers of using plastic packaging incorrectly, so it is important to have a warning label on the packaging," said Tulus.

KOMPAS/NIKSON SINAGA

Gallon bottled drinking water is sold at a shop in Medan, North Sumatra, Wednesday (14/9/2022). The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency has asked producers, distributors, and consumers to avoid direct sunlight and impact gallons to reduce the absorption of BPA from packaging into drinking water.

Education

The Director of Environmental Health at the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Health Ministry, Anas Ma'ruf, said that education and campaigns had been carried out to the public regarding the adverse effects of using plastic packaging on health, including the impact of exposure to Bisphenol-A (BPA) in plastic materials. People should use non-BPA plastic materials.

A number of studies have shown that BPA in plastic packaging has the potential to seep or migrate into food or beverages. The migration process can occur due to certain conditions, such as exposure to hot temperatures or repeated washing.

A number of studies show infants and children are in the age range most vulnerable to the effects of BPA. "People should use alternative containers to store food and drinks, especially at high temperatures, in addition to plastic containers. It is better to use packaging made of glass, porcelain, stainless steel," he said.

The public can minimize the impact of BPA content in plastic packaging by preventing BPA contamination. We recommend using BPA-free products.

However, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said exposure to BPA remains safe for humans in very low levels. “The public can minimize the impact of BPA content in plastic packaging by preventing BPA contamination. We recommend using BPA-free products. To ensure that the product does not contain BPA, a product marked BPA-free can be chosen," said Anas.

In addition, if the plastic packaging label reads a recycling code with the number 3 or 7, the packaging may contain BPA. In the packaging there is a warning not to heat the package in the microwave. The public also needs to reduce their consumption of canned food because there is a potential for BPA migration, which needs to be watched out for.

Meanwhile, the quality and distribution of piped drinking water needs to be improved so that residents can use it as the main source of drinking water. The head of Communication and Publication for Regional Drinking Water Company (PDAM) Tirtanadi, Martha Tobing, in the city of Medan, said that Medan is the area with the highest number of customers in North Sumatra. "The number of PDAM connections in Medan is 457,444 customers and we continue to increase the coverage," she said.

Even though the coverage is wide, many customers do not use piped water as a source of drinking water because they often find grey water and sediment if left in a reservoir. Residents in Medan generally use gallon drinking water as the main source of drinking water, and piped water only for bathing, washing and latrines.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.