March 14, 2008

YLKI wants contaminated milk named

Desy Nurhayati , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta

The Indonesian Consumer Agency (YLKI) said Thursday the government should reveal the brand names of infant formula it had found to be contaminated with potentially lethal bacteria.

Sudaryatmo of the YLKI said the public had been worried about the issue of infant formula contaminated with Enterobacter sakazakii during the past weeks and demanded the government disclose the brands.

"We know the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) has rules about keeping its research results confidential. But in this case, the public interest is at stake," he said.

"We urge them to publicize the research results because the public has the right to know about it."

He said in this case, YLKI's authority was only to receive reports and complaints from the public and forward them to the BPOM for further examination.

Earlier this month, Yanwarinson, a resident of South Jakarta, reported to the YLKI his 16-month-old daughter had suffered from diarrhea caused by an E. sakazakii infection a year ago. He attached results from a laboratory test.

However, the report was only filed after the issue of contaminated infant formula had been widely raised.

Sudaryatmo said so far YLKI had yet to receive any information about the brand names of infant formula that were claimed to have contained the bacteria.

BPOM head Husnia Rubiana Thamrin Akib said the agency had found no contamination of the bacteria in 36 samples of infant formula it had examined.

The agency said it was continuing its research on 60 other samples and expected to complete it by early next month.

"We're still working on the microbiology examination, and it will take a bit longer," Husnia told Antara.

In the research, she said, the BPOM applied the method used by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration because it did not have its own standard for such research. But the agency had included the bacteria as one of the tests in examining the safety of infant formula.

She said BPOM had never found the bacteria during its regular research on the samples of infant formula products.

"According to our data, there were only 48 cases of intoxication involving the bacteria in the past 42 years. Most of the cases involved babies aged below a month with severe lack of immunity, and underweight and premature babies."

Bogor Institute of Agricultural researchers announced last month the results of a study on the presence of E. sakazakii in infant formula. The study was immediately criticized by Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari, who questioned the credibility of the institute, which is one of the oldest universities in the country.