Food Safety in Indonesia Still Questionable . . . . . . . . .

Various incidents of food poisoning, the high pesticide residues in agro-industry products, agricultural issues about GMOs and the last is the issue of formaldehyde and borax, marking the existence of a problem in food security system in Indonesia. Ideally food should be safe outstanding, quality, and nutritious. Because food is essential for growth, maintenance, and improvement of health status and the intelligence community. Society needs to be protected from harmful food and endanger health.

Efforts to realize these circumstances stipulated in Government Regulation No. 28 of 2004 on Safety, Quality and Nutrition Food outlining things that are necessary to achieve safe food, quality, and nutritious. In these regulations also stipulated that the responsibilities and rights of each party who acts as a pillar of development is the government's food safety, food business, and consumer society. But the PP No. 28/2004 on Safety, Quality and Nutrition Food is not enough to achieve safe food, quality, and nutritious as broad and completely the problems in the face in the field.

There are several factors identified affect food security in Indonesia, namely: food systems, social, cultural, technological food chain, environmental factors, aspects of nutrition and epidemiology. Several indicators can be used to indicate that a food is not safe. The signs are easily found among other foul-smelling or rancid, there is dirt in the form of pebbles, pieces of wood or glass or contained maggots. However, there are still other materials that are not visible which can cause food hazardous to health, namely microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria and the toxins they produce, which may be found in vegetables, milk, peanuts, meat, fish and others.

Several food safety problems in Indonesia are:

1. Food Systems

Food system in question is a series of activities starting from production, processing, preparation, distribution and consumption of food. In this system related to several sub-systems include:

Low income rural systems, which is a food management system that is formed because of the low income rural communities. Common problems found include:

•  Most contamination comes from raw materials containing spores of microorganisms such as clostridium and bacillus
• Contamination through the use of unclean water for watering or washing plant / vegetable crops
• Food management practices that are not good at the time of preparation, processing and presentation

Low income urban system, which is a food management system that is formed because of the low income urban communities. Common problems found include:

• Most contamination comes from raw materials containing spores of microorganisms such as Blostridium and Bacillus.
• The growth of a centralized market as a major distribution of food from rural to urban areas.
• The development of a number of processing and preparation of food in or outside the home and most diprodukasi on a small scale.
• Systems to small-scale retail sales, and sales with a small amount of raw materials, materials that have been processed or prepared foods.

High income system, which is a food management system that develops in high-income segments of society. Common problems found include:

• In line with increased income, then people tend to reduce their time in preparing food.
• Its technology and a place to store food
• The possibility of cross contamination between raw and cooked materials are stored together, lack of due storage temperature and less precise way of cooking.

2. Nutritional Aspect

In the process of storage and preparation of food for consumption degradation of nutrients can occur so that maintenance and development of quality nutrition provided an important component of food security. The use of food additives affect the nutritional quality, as well as contamination of heavy metals such as lead affect the absorption of vitamin D and Cd.

3. Ecologycal Factor

Shellfish contamination by chemicals from waste disposal to the sea / water bodies such as those in the Bay of Jakarta and Surabaya Kenjeran beach (Umar Fahmi, 1991) became a threat to consumers. Inadequate supply of clean water, poor environmental sanitation and disposal of waste water / feces that do not meet the requirements will result in the occurrence of disease-based, water, food and vector (food borne disease, water borne disease and vector borne disease).

4. Food Chain Technology

In non-industrial society, usually in areas penggiran (rural) generate most of their own makanannnya. In the local market sold food in open containers, or put it on the ground so the exposed dust and flies. Poor quality water (river water, irrigation channels, etc..) Is sometimes used to refresh their merchandise when sold. Preserving done at home where less hygienic conditions, sometimes also food prepared in a range long enough to be eaten without added cooling. In urban and industrial society, the food must pass through a considerable distance to get to the consumer, because the location of food production center outside the city. Food chains become more complex and many hands are involved. Most mass-produced food in the garden and then processed at the plant and distributed to local, national and international.

Design of food safety promotion strategy was launched:

1. Food Safety Awareness will be planted throughout the community

2. Promotion activities involve activities

a. above the line (open advertisement)

b. below the line (advertising covert) are:

- Thematic promotion: the promotion of long-term

- Schematic promotion is short-term promotion

3. Campaign Approach

a. Capturing Market Share (segmentation, targeting and positioning)

b. Capturing Mind Share (differentiation)

c. Capturing Heart Share (process)

Output

1. POM RI Cooperation with all stakeholders (institutions, media) should be increased.
2. Funds for the promotion of KP can be obtained from the state budget, the WHO / FAO, Private and sponsorship.
3. KP promotional priority on prevention of food poisoning.
4. Promotion of KP needs to be done continuously, coupled with integrated social function on each element.
5. KP campaign targets focused on lower middle class society.
6. National Movement for Healthy Indonesia need for all levels of society.
7. Food safety promotion strategies need to be effective and well targeted.

Suggestion

1. One of the most important things done in this regard is the education of food safety for consumers in order to raise public awareness. They must know and understand that food-borne illness caused by chemical hazards, biological hazards, physical hazards, and where food is free of danger.
2. Food producers to keep control of their products for quality and food security is assured, and urged consumers to always be critical in selecting the food products they need and always avoid food products that are not in accordance with food safety requirements.
3. Coordination of the various relevant agencies and law enforcement (law enforcement) still needs to be improved for the implementation of food safety programs in Indonesia goes well.