Back to Food Safety

There are always issues related to food, from its provision to diet, but food safety is an issue that must be urgently addressed.

KOMPAS/CORNELIUS HELMY HERLAMBANG

Osid Suryadi (right), fresh food safety inspector at Mini Lab Food Security Pasar Kosambi, Bandung City, West Java, tested samples of fresh chicken meat, Monday (7/1/2019).

Between 10 million and 22 million people in Indonesia experience diarrhea due to contaminated food and water, which leads to an economic losses of Rp 70.5 trillion to Rp 250.5 trillion. These losses could be much greater as long-term effects of contaminated food and water can trigger more than 200 diseases, apart from nutritional issues and stunting in children.

Foodborne illnesses, due to both microorganisms and chemicals, have become a major burden on public health but are often neglected. The World Health Organization (WHO) report in 2015 showed that around 600 million people, or nearly 1 in 10 people in the world, fell ill after consuming contaminated food and it is the cause of death for 420,000 people every year (Kompas, 27/2/2023).