BPPOM Denpasar Says Culinary MSMEs at the Bali Arts Festival XLVIII 2026 Safe from Chemicals

ILLUSTRATION

BALI - The National Agency for Food and Drug Monitoring (BBPOM) stated that culinary MSMEs at the Bali Arts Festival (PKB) XLVIII in 2026 were safe from chemicals after repeated sample tests.

"We have tested, if the safe food is food that is free from three dangers, the danger of chemicals we tested today turned out to be astungkara all safe from chemical dangers," said the Head of the Information and Communication Team of BBPOM in Denpasar, Ni Putu Ekayani.

Ekayani in Denpasar, Sunday, explained that on the day the PKB 2026 began, they were present to test 19 samples of products sold by MSMEs.

To ensure that all foods are safe from harmful chemicals, BBPOM tests products that are in accordance with the potential for harmful content such as containing rhodamin b, borax, and formalin.

"Among them are sea fish satay, there is also pepes, then meatballs, crackers, pearl ice, and terasi," he said.

Ekayani said that for ice pearls, BPOM tested the rhodamin b content, because the red color in the ice was suspected of containing chemicals.

"Jajan laklak also usually contains dangerous ingredients if naughty people are outside Bali because in Bali they have never met, if there is lontong, there are also some that are filled but in Bali it is safe not to contain borak, there are also noodles that are suspected of containing formalin, there are noodles also suspected," he said.

The most prominent suspect is terasi. In addition to its striking color, there are still many MSMEs that use terasi without BPOM distribution permits as food additives.

"This terasi is risky to add textile dye rhodamin b, if you buy a little bit of bright red, the color is likely to be a mixture but not necessarily, it is proven that it does not contain any danger, it could be red from shrimp," said Ekayani.

BBPOM can ensure the results of the test in the 2026 PKB culinary MSMEs because the chemical test process is carried out repeatedly including at the booth that just joined this year.

However, he reminded that in addition to being safe from chemicals, it is also necessary to ensure that business actors who sell are safe from physical and biological hazards.

For biological hazards, namely microbial contamination, Ekayani saw that a number of traders already understood to close their products to prevent flies from coming.

However, what is still largely ignored is the use of aprons and masks while cooking, even though these accessories are important to ensure that products are not contaminated.

For physical hazards, BBPOM asked the committee for the largest art festival in Bali to regularly see the condition of the food sold so that no damaged or expired food is still sold.