"I will communicate this issue with our KDEI office in Taiwan. However, if no violations occur, we will clarify this with the Taiwanese authority through our representatives there," the ministry's Director General of Foreign TradeBudi Santoso stated here on Thursday.
He said that the Taiwanese food and drug authority has its own regulation on food ingredients, and products imported to Taiwan must adhere to local regulation.
"We indeed have a different standard than Taiwan. It will not be a problem here in Indonesia, yet because Taiwan has a different regulation, they are more sensitive to this issue," Santoso remarked.
The director general highlighted that this is not the first case when an Indonesian instant noodle product was rejected by Taiwan.
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Last October, the local authority rejected Indonesia's Mie Sedaap product after detecting epoxyethane level beyond its permitted percentage in the instant noodle.
"We can resolve the issue at that time. In the end, the Taiwanese side, Taiwan's food and drug authority, came here to verify the findings," he stated.
Earlier, local media Focus Taiwan-CNA English News reported that the Taiwanese health department found chicken-flavored Indomie instant noodles contained ethylene oxide, a substance that might cause lymphoma and leukaemia, during an inspection.
Apart from the Indomie product, the local agency also found white curry-flavoured Ah Lai instant noodles produced in Malaysia containing the same substance.
In response to the findings, Stefanus Indrayana, the general manager for corporate communication of PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, the Indomie producer, said that his company is preparing to study it.
Moreover, the Malaysian authority has instructed local stores to voluntarily take off the two instant noodle products from their shelves.
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Translator: Maria Cicilia, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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