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).

Also read:

> Unsafe Food Causes Losses of up to Rp 250.5 trillion

> Wanting to Eat Well, but Getting Sick Instead

Indonesia is greatly burdened by foodborne illnesses. We do not need to look far to find cases of food poisoning. We could be victims of food security issues. Every now and then we hear about cases of food poisoning, whether in schools, villages or workplaces.

Is this not a sign that we should do something about it? The biggest issue is our neglect of food safety. We do not perceive it as a big deal even though it has caused us great losses such as in productive time, reduced mobility and increased spending. It is time for us to pay attention to food safety at the most basic level, for ourselves and our families.

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

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

On a broader scale, food safety should be a common concern in villages, workplaces and educational institutions. It is indeed a complicated situation. Vendors provide a variety of food but may not have maintained its quality. Meanwhile, it may also not be easy to bring food from home due to transportation and packaging.

Whatever the circumstances, we must go back to prioritizing food safety.

We hope that the government will continue its food safety campaign. We recall how there used to be campaigns for clean lifestyles, such as diligently washing our hands and keeping our surroundings clean. This method at least reduces the contact of harmful microbes and compounds with food. The ensuing campaign must encourage eating nutritious food and teaching skills to identify contaminated food.

Apart from that, poverty may also be a key issue. Limited access to quality education leads to limited knowledge about food safety. Poverty also results in low purchasing power so people prefer to eat what is available to them. However, whatever the circumstances, we must go back to prioritizing food safety.

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.