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EU: Indonesian Fish Products Are Poisonous
Saturday, 10 September, 2005 | 18:36 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Minister of Maritime and Fisheries Freddy Numberi has said that the European Union (EU) is to carry out inspections on Indonesian fish products that will be exported to Europe.

These inspections are to be carried out because the EU authority on food and fish products has found indications of poisonous and dangerous elements within Indonesian fish products.

According to Numberi, trade globalization and foreign consumers demand quality control and food safety as regards these products.

“Therefore, if Indonesian fish products contain poisonous and dangerous elements, the export of the products will certainly be refused by the receiving countries. The EU has refused at least two containers of Indonesian fish products,” said Numberi.

The European Union has a control system named Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, which is applied to all food and fish products.

Numberi said that the authority has found antibiotic contents of Cloramphenical and Nitrofuran in shrimp products, lead in tuna and marlin, Histamine in tuna, Vibrio Parahaemolyticus bacteria in shrimps, carbon in tuna and malachite green in milkfish and catfish.

Based on data issued by the Indonesian Maritime and Fisheries Department, the EU has imposed an embargo on Indonesian shellfish products.

This is because there as yet there is no National Shellfish Monitoring Program, a system that can guarantee the quality and safety of the food. (Sunudyantoro-Tempo News Room)