Food Packaging designation will be required

The government plans to require manufacturers of packaged food or do make label on their products which have been declared in accordance with the standards.

"We have study with the Ministry of Trade and Industry Department, they do not mind. The plan began to apply in November to come," said Board of Supervisors Chief Food and Drugs (BPOM) Husniah Rubiana Akib Thamrin in Jakarta.

Designation for the type of food packaging, he said, is that consumers can identify the types of food packaging that is used safely.

"If we are given a code, people will know, which is safe to use. On the outside of the country, every type of packaging marked peruntukannya," he said.

He said, marking food packaging should be required for this considering most of the food packaging sold in the market allotment is not labeled, so consumers do not get basic information on the packaging material and security.

While these types of food packaging, he said, not everything is safe to use for food ready.

He cite, food packaging based on "polystirene" or "styrofoam" can deliver a certain type of stirene when used for mewadahi and fatty food and beralkohol summer.

"Residues stirene more than 5000 parts per million is dangerous for health," he said.

Plastic packaging based polyvinil klorida (PVC) can also release the monomer vinil klorida to food in the oily / fatty or alcoholic.

The making of PVC plastic, he said, sometimes uses such as reciprocal penstabil (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and white tin (Sn) to prevent damage and ptalat ester compound and ester adipat to deflect.

"If it does not pembuatannya process, additional materials can also be separated into food during use. If the amount exceeds the maximum threshold, ie, one part per million, residue materials can be dangerous to health," he said.

He further explained, the plastic packaging of food is generally safe to be marked / labeled.

Packaging polietilen tereftalat based plastic (PET) labeled number 01 in the Triangle, High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) labeled number 02 in the triangle, labeled PVC number in the triangle 03, Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) labeled number 04 in the triangle, PP labeled number 05 in triangle and polistiren labeled number 06 in the Triangle.