Next Week Out Test Kinder Joy Samples Suspected To Contain Salmonella Bacteria

JAKARTA - The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) targets the Kinder product sample testing process in Indonesia to determine the possibility of Salmonella bacterial contamination, to be completed in the third week of April 2022.

"We have tested the 'sampling' since Friday (8/4) in many places and we report the results in the third week of April," said Head of BPOM Penny K. Lukito in a virtual press conference, Thursday, April 14, quoted from Antara.

BPOM has temporarily suspended the circulation of Kinder products with a number of variants in Indonesia, including Kinderjoy, Kinder Joy for Boys, and Kinder Joy for Girls.

BPOM requires businesses for Kinder products that have a distribution permit to contact all distributors throughout Indonesia so that they can withdraw goods independently under the supervision of BPOM in all cities/districts.

He said Salmonella (non-typhoid) bacteria are generally in water and contaminate raw materials for production.

"It could be the raw material, unhygienic washing process, or by hand, it's very risky," he said.

Salmonella reported by health authorities in the UK can trigger mild symptoms, such as diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps for those who consume it.

BPOM's decision to temporarily stop the circulation of Kinder products was motivated by the precautionary principle to protect consumers following the same efforts made by the UK's Food Standard Agency (FSA) and a number of countries in Europe, including Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

Products recalled abroad are Kinder Surprise chocolate products in single packs of 20 grams and triple packs of 20 grams each, each with an expiration date of 7 October 2022.

The UK has also expanded the scope of product recalls by adding several variants, namely Kinder Surprise in 100 grams, Kinder Mini Eggs in 75 grams, Kinder Egg Hunt Kit in 150 grams, and Kinder Schokobons in 200 grams with an expiration date from April 20 to August 21, 2022. .

Penny ensured that the Kinder production facilities circulating in Indonesia were different from those in Europe, because the product was manufactured by Ferrero India PVP, LTD.

"Be careful with Kinder products from 'online' (online) because no one is responsible for the content in it," he said.