MORE INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED ON PROCESSED AND FAST FOODS

Jul 17, 2013

Minister of Health Regulation No. 30 of 2013 on The Inclusion of Information on Sugar, Salt, and Fat Content, and Health Impact Messages for Processed and Fast Foods is aimed at lowering the exposure of the public to the risk of non-contagious disease such as hypertension, stroke, diabetes and heart attacks, which can be caused by the excessive consumption of processed or fast foods. All producers of processed foods for trading purposes that contain sugar, salt, or fat must provide information on their products stating the sugar, salt, and fat content and include a health impact message on the labels. Fast food franchises with more than 250 outlets in Indonesia must also provide information on the sugar, salt, and fat content of their products and include a health impact message through information and promotional media such as leaflets, brochures, menus and other media. The health impact message must read as follows: “Consumption of more than 50 grams of sugar, more than 2,000 milligrams of natrium, or more than 67 grams of fat per person per day puts the person at risk of hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and heart attacks”. The information on a product’s sugar, salt, and fat content must be based on the results of laboratory tests conducted by an accredited laboratory in accordance with Ministerial Regulation No. 411/Menkes/Per/III/2010 of 2010 on Clinical Laboratories. For fast food products, the laboratory tests must be conducted by the franchisor once for each fast food product, as long as there are no further alterations to the fast food product after the test. Any violation of this regulation related to processed food may lead to the following sanctions being imposed by the Head of BPOM: written warnings, temporary prohibition of distribution and/or product recalls, revocation of the distribution permit and approvals, and/or a recommendation to revoke the food production certificate. Any violation of this regulation related to fast food may lead to the following sanctions being imposed by the Head of the provincial and regency/municipal health agency: written warnings, temporary prohibition of distribution, a temporary halt to production, a recommendation to revoke the business permit and incorporation certificate. All processed and fast food products must be in compliance with the Regulation within three years of 16 April 2013.