Fake MBG Trays “Made in Indonesia”, APMAKI: Investigate Thoroughly!

Prosperous Forum or a free nutritious eating program (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Food Vessel Entrepreneurs Association (APMAKI) appreciates the police's steps to search shop houses and warehouses for counterfeit stalls in the North Jakarta area.

APMAKI encourages the case to be thoroughly investigated in a transparent and professional manner, and the perpetrators are dealt with firmly according to the law.

"We appreciate at the same time encouraging the police to thoroughly investigate this false omnipreng case. The handling must be carried out seriously, transparently, and accountably. The perpetrators involved must be dealt with firmly," said the Secretary General of APMAKI, Ardy Susanto, when contacted by reporters, Monday, November 3.

Previously, the police conducted searches in a number of shophouses and warehouses in the warehousing area in North Jakarta last weekend. From the results of the operation, it was found that thousands of turnovers or food containers had the words 'Made in Indonesia' which were suspected to be fake.

These items are known to come from abroad, especially China, but their original labels were replaced before being distributed to various regions.

In addition to the alleged forgery of the country of origin labels, the police also found indications of other violations in the form of falsification of the halal logo and incompatibility of raw materials with food safety standards. This case is being investigated by the police to trace the distribution chain and the parties involved in the practice.

Ardy assessed that the alleged counterfeiting of turnover was very dangerous and had the potential to tarnish President Prabowo Subianto's flagship program. In addition to violating the law, this practice can also harm the state and threaten food security in the Free Nutrition Food (MBG) program.

"For example, there are allegations of falsification of the halal logo, which certainly threatens the safety, health, and certainty of the status of the product used for the MBG program," he said.

He added that the thousands of ompreng found were allegedly imported from China and later re-labeled from 'Made in China' to 'Made in Indonesia'. According to Ardy, the action was taken to avoid paying taxes and gain access to official distribution.

"Therefore, we encourage the police to synergize with the National Food Agency (BPN), the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the National Standardization Agency (BSN), and Customs and Excise to thoroughly investigate this allegation of forgery. Apart from taking action against the parties involved, this step is important to prevent a repeat of similar cases that could interfere with the implementation of the MBG program," he explained.

Ardy also assessed that this case had harmed and injured the existence of domestic turnover manufacturers. For this reason, APMAKI emphasized its support for the firm steps taken by law enforcement officials.

"APMAKI has been committed from the start to provide turnover or food routes as well as other food supplies that are safe for health, according to Indonesian National Standards (SNI) and halal-certified, in order to support the smooth running of MBG programs throughout Indonesia," he said.

Furthermore, Ardy said that APMAKI is ready to become a strategic partner of BPN in providing Ompreng which is guaranteed to be halal, security, and quality, in accordance with the recommendations of MUI, SNI, and the needs of the MBG program.

"We have an ompreng production capability of up to 10 million sets per month and are ready to increase capacity if needed, to ensure the distribution of turnover according to halal standards and SNI," he concluded.