Jakarta Provincial Government through Maritime Agriculture and Food Security (KPKP) Department monitors food intensively to ensure food security for Jakartans.

Safe food percentage is increasing because food traders becomes more aware to sell good quality food

Every year, more than 45 thousand food samples from agriculture, livestock, and fishery were tested in laboratory to ensure the products are free from hazardous substances.

Jakarta KPKP Department Head, Darjamuni mentioned, food monitoring is done in traditional market, modern market, coached location (lokbin), and distribution center.

"In total, food monitoring has been done in 153 locations and we take the samples maximum 5 times for each location in a year. Hazardous substances that shouldn't be contained in foods are pesticide residues, formalin, dyes, bleach and borax," he explained, Monday (12/9).

Especially for meat, his side also conducts Eber test to test whether meat has gone bad or not. Food testing is done on the location using mobile laboratory car.

Regarding food monitoring, his side targets to ensure at least 95 percent of food products that his side tested are free from dangerous substances.

Based on the data of food monitoring in 2017-2019, it shows that food product problems are reducing.

In detail, he informed, there were 29 cases in agricultural food products in 2017 then decreased into 6 cases in 2018, and 4 cases in 2019. For livestock food products, there were 27 cases in 2017 and raised into 47 cases in 2018 but then decreased into 36 cases in 2019.

Meanwhile for fishery products, there were 59 cases in 2017, then raised into 83 cases in 2018 but decreased into 43 cases in 2019.

But from that result, his side compares it to the total food sample taken. It said that 99.64 percent of total samples taken in 2017 were safe for consumption. While 99.70 percent in 2018 and 99.74 percent in 2019.

"Safe food percentage is increasing because food traders becomes more aware to sell good quality food," he stated.

According to him, the consumer's high awareness towards a safe food has encouraged food traders, especially supermarkets, to pay more attention to food security.

"This way, both consumers and traders has experienced the good benefits of food monitoring. Thus KPKP Department will continue this monitoring and ensure 100 percent of food products in Jakarta are free from hazardous substances," he conveyed.