Unsafe Food Causes Losses of up to Rp 250.5 trillion

Contaminated food not only adversely affects the health of the population, but also harms the economy to the tune of Rp 70.5 trillion to Rp 250.5 trillion a year.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

A student at SD Negeri Joglo 01, Kembangan, West Jakarta, enjoys snacks while waiting to be picked up, Monday (30/1/2023). From 10 million to 22 million people in Indonesia have diarrhea due to contaminated food and water.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — From 10 million to 22 million people in Indonesia have diarrhea due to contaminated food and water. The economic losses are projected at Rp 70.5 trillion to Rp 250.5 trillion in a year. The losses can be much greater because the long-term effects of food and water that are contaminated can cause more than 200 diseases other than nutritional problems including stunting in children.

Diseases transmitted through food (foodborne Illness, FBI), both due to microorganisms and chemicals, have become the main burden on public health, but are often neglected. According to a report of the World Health Organizational (WHO) in 2015, around 600 million people, or almost one in 10 people in the world, fall ill after consuming polluted food and 420,000 die every year.