The House Of Representatives Asks The Government To Send A Memorandum Of Protest To The US About Cancer Labels On Indonesian Bumbu

Illustration of the Cooking Season (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Nurhadi, highlighted the viral news regarding typical Indonesian spice products that are labeled as foodstuffs with cancer in the United States (US). He asked the Indonesian government to send a note of protest to the US.

Nurhadi considers this labeling as a form of serious threat to the face of Indonesian food exports and a potential crisis of confidence in national MSME products.

"This is not a trivial matter. This is a major blow to the face of our food exports, it can even create a global crisis of trust in Indonesian MSME products. The government must send a protest note," said Nurhadi, Friday, August 1.

The NasDem legislator from the East Java electoral district assessed that the labeling action carried out by the US was a form of discrimination against Nusantara's culinary heritage. Because according to Nurhadi, Indonesian spices have been proven to last hundreds of years and are used as part of the tradition of food as well as natural medicine.

"The unilateral labelization that tarnishes the reputation of the Nusantara spices and spices is a form of food discrimination! In fact, for hundreds of years, these spices have become a culinary heritage and natural medicines that have passed time and civilization," he said.

"If America calls it dangerous, then the world needs to ask: where is their scientific position and trade justice?" continued Nurhadi.

Therefore, the member of the commission in the DPR in charge of health affairs urged BPOM to act decisively and not stop at a reactive or normative attitude. Nurhadi demanded cross-ministerial coordination to submit official protests and open up the possibility of a joint audit if there were differences in testing standards.

"It's not enough to just say 'will be studied' or 'adjust'. BPOM must act offensively, involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Trade, and the Ministry of Health to send an official protest note, as well as open a joint independent audit room if there are differences in testing standards," he said.

Nurhadi emphasized that this is not just a matter of trade, but concerns the dignity and sovereignty of the nation. If this issue is ignored, he assesses that other distinctive products from Indonesia also have the potential to become victims of unilateral labelization.

"We must not remain silent. This is not only a matter of product, but a matter of the dignity of the nation. If labels like this are left without a dignified and scientific data-based defense, then it is the turn of tempeh, sambal, and even our ginger can be labeled heretically by other countries," said Nurhadi.

Nurhadi also called for the government through BPOM to stand at the forefront of defending the honor of the Nusantara culinary.

"Indonesia must show its customs. This is the time for BPOM and the government to stand at the forefront of maintaining the culinary self-esteem of the archipelago," he concluded.

As is known, a video showing instant spices from Indonesia receiving a cancer warning in the California market, United States has gone viral on social media.

In the video recorded, certain brand instant spices are labeled 'California Proposition 65 Warning'. However, other instant spices are not.

Head of the Indonesian Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) Taruna Ikrar emphasized that his party was following up on this matter. BPOM is said to have not been able to respond to the findings before the results of the investigation.

For information, proposition 65 requires companies to alert Californians about significant exposure to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive disorders.

These chemicals can be found in products purchased by Californians, at home or where they work, or released into the environment. With a proposition of 65, Californians can make the right decisions about their exposure to these chemicals.