Central Java Police Uncovers a Factory Producing 1.5 Tons/Day of Formaldehyde-Containing Noodles in Boyolali

Head of Public Relations of the Central Java Police, Kombes Artanto, shows the evidence of formalin-containing noodles during a press release in Semarang, Wednesday. (11/3/2026). ANTARA/HO-Public Relations of the Central Java Police

SEMARANG - Central Java Police has uncovered a formalin-based noodle factory in Boyolali Regency with a production capacity of around 1.5 tons per day.

Director of Special Criminal Investigation of Central Java Police, Kombes Djoko Julianto, explained that the disclosure began with reports of formalin-containing mi circulating in a number of markets in the Solo area and its surroundings.

From the results of the search, he said, officers visited two different locations that produced formalin noodles in Boyolali Regency.

"The first location in Cepogo District which is the production site, the second location in Mojosongo District which is the storage warehouse," he said as quoted by ANTARA.

From the two locations, he continued, officers secured evidence of hundreds of liters of formalin and 25 bags of ready-to-eat noodles weighing up to 1 ton.

In the disclosure, the police arrested the perpetrator with the initials WH (38) a resident of Mojosongo, Boyolali Regency, who is suspected of being the owner of the business.

Djoko explained that during the production process, the perpetrator mixed 1 liter of formalin with 100 kg of noodle dough.

Based on BPOM Regulation Number 22 of 2022, formalin is included in the list of substances that are strictly prohibited from being used as food additives (BTP) because they are toxic and dangerous for human health.

The illegal practice, he continued, has been going on since 2019 with marketing areas in the Solo area and its surroundings.

For his actions, the suspect was charged with Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning Food.