After Frozen Shrimp, FDA Again Finds Radioactive Contamination On RI Spice Products

Illustration: Photo: Doc. ANTARA

JAKARTA - The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has again found contamination of Cs-137 radioactive substances in spices products from Indonesia.

In a report published by the FDA, exposure to Cesium-137 radioactive substances was detected in the cloves sent by the company PT Natural Java Spice to California.

Based on these findings, the FDA then blocked the import of all spices from PT Natural Java Spices (NJS).

"The FDA detected the presence of Cs-137 in a clove sample from PT Natural Java Spice. Thus, the spice products sent by the company PT Natural Java Spice to the US have also been added to the import warning for chemical contamination," the FDA wrote in a statement, quoted from the official website fda.gov, Tuesday, September 30.

Although the detected radioactive content is still well below the health protection threshold, the FDA considers the findings to be non-trivial.

The agency reminded that foods that are radioactively polluted still have the potential to trigger serious health problems in the event of long-term exposure to consumers.

In August, the FDA also detected Cs-137 contamination of frozen shrimp products exported by PT Bahari Makmur Sejati (BMS).

The company is one of the largest suppliers in the US and is recorded to have shipped 38 million kilograms of shrimp this year.

The FDA emphasized that it will tighten supervision of all products from Indonesia, both spices and seafood.

All products from the two Indonesian companies will remain detained until there is evidence of improvement.

In fact, it is possible that the ban list will be expanded if new violations of products from Indonesia are found.

"Products from PT Bahari Makmur Sejati and PT Natural Java Spice will not be allowed to enter the US market until these companies provide information to the FDA to show adequately they have resolved conditions that lead to violations," explained the FDA.

Menurut FDA, meskipun paparan Cs-137 terbatas, dapat meningkatkan risiko kanker akibat kerusakan DNA dalam sel-sel tubuh.

FDA menilai, meski kadar isotop terdeteksi masih berada di bawah tingkat kekhawatiran, penarikan produk dilakukan untuk menghindari paparan dosis rendah yang bisa terakumulasi dalam jangka panjang.

According to the FDA, although exposure to Cs-137 is limited, it can increase the risk of cancer due to DNA damage in body cells.

The FDA assesses that although isotopic levels are still below the level of concern, product withdrawals are carried out to avoid exposure to low doses that can be accumulated in the long term.