BPOM asks public to limit Muscat grape consumption amid investigation – Markets

he Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has asked people to temporarily limit their consumption of Shine Muscat grapes as authorities carry out an investigation prompted by reports from Thai officials of dangerous levels of contaminants in samples of the imported fruit.

BPOM head Taruna Ikrar said in a statement on Wednesday that officials were examining samples of the seedless grape variety in labs across the country to determine whether they contained dangerous substances, Kompas reported.

Taruna said the day before that the agency had yet to receive reports on whether the samples were contaminated but would communicate with the relevant ministries and agencies, including the Agriculture Ministry and the Indonesian Quarantine Agency, bisnis.com reported.

If authorities found dangerous chemicals in or on the grapes, he said, the product would be recalled from the Indonesian market.

Thai authorities announced on Oct. 24 that laboratory tests had found high levels of pesticide residue in 23 of 24 samples of the grapes collected in Bangkok and its surroundings.

The Thai Pesticide Alert Network said in a statement that it had determined that nine of the samples had come from China but had been unable to identify origin of the rest.

Every Monday

With exclusive interviews and in-depth coverage of the region’s most pressing business issues, “Prospects” is the go-to source for staying ahead of the curve in Indonesia’s rapidly evolving business landscape.

for signing up our newsletter!

Please check your email for your newsletter subscription.

View More Newsletter

Indonesia is China’s third-largest export destination for fresh and dried grapes, buying 83,541 tonnes last year, some 68 percent of its total national consumption. It was behind only Thailand, which imported 122,704 tonnes from China, and Vietnam, which imported 114,611 tonnes, according to International Trade Center data.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}