Indonesia's Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) asserts no oversight lapse in the recall of Nestle baby formula due to potential cereulide toxin contamination. BPOM head Taruna Ikrar explains that monitoring followed regulations, responding to a European Union alert. The public is urged to stop using two batches of S-26 Promil Gold pHPro 1 and return them.
Jakarta – Head of Indonesia's Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), Taruna Ikrar, asserts that the agency was not caught off guard in the Nestle baby formula recall case. The product originates from Europe, where quality control processes are also conducted. BPOM applies a notification system based on documents from the country of origin to issue import permits in Indonesia.
"The POM Agency was not caught off guard. The POM Agency has followed all existing regulations for issuing permits for that product, the baby formula," said Taruna Ikrar.
BPOM has ordered PT Nestle Indonesia to halt distribution and temporarily suspend imports of the baby formula product, in response to a notification from the European Union Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (EURASFF). This follows the detection of potential cereulide toxin contamination in S-26 Promil Gold pHPro 1 for infants aged 0-6 months, with permit number ML 562209063696 and batch numbers 51530017C2 and 51540017A1.
Taruna explained that the cereulide toxin is resistant to certain temperatures. If consumed beyond safe limits, it can cause vomiting, neurological symptoms such as reduced consciousness, and diarrhea in babies. To date, no public complaints regarding these symptoms have been reported.
"For caution's sake, the POM Agency has requested that the specific 0-6 month product be recalled," he stated. BPOM has also approved Nestle to withdraw the problematic products while issuing public warnings. Products in warehouses are to be destroyed, while those already distributed are to be recalled.
"Since this is a baby product, we certainly need to be very careful. It's better to prevent before it happens, rather than poisoning occurring which could be fatal," he added. BPOM advises owners of the affected batches to stop use and contact Nestle Indonesia for returns or exchanges. Consumers have the right to claim compensation for any losses.
BPOM will continue pre- and post-market surveillance, coordinating with international authorities to ensure food product safety.
