Infant Formula Will Review for All Bacterial Contamination

Infant Formula Will Review for All Bacterial Contamination-Government through the Research and Development Agency (Research and Development), Ministry of Health and the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) will conduct a test sample of formula milk on the market. Retesting of all samples of infant formula to ease community concerns.

According to Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, this time of testing will be conducted for all types of bacterial contamination, not only Enterobacter sakazakii. Read also Make Baby Formula Obesity.

"It's really going we check all the bacteria, as already determined Codex," said Endang, after opening the WHO Southeast Asia Regional Conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Kemenkes will hold a meeting with BPOM, Directorate General of Higher Education Events Calendar, and Institut Pertanian Bogor (IPB) on Thursday (3 / 3) for the preparation of proposals and coordination of the testing.

Minister of Health stated, it also will synchronize the test to be conducted this government with a study conducted earlier IPB. Research conducted IPB Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, published in 2008 ago has caused controversy because it found bacterial contamination in more than 20 percent of the sample.

Menkes said, these tests would take a long time because the process of preparing the proposal, sample collection and testing itself takes a long time. "The study takes about six to nine months," said Minister of Health.

Previously, the BPOM has also conducted tests on dozens of samples of milk since 2009, especially to detect contamination by Enterobacter sakazakii. In 2009, for example, BPOM take as many as 11 samples of infant formula and followed in 2010 by examining 99 samples. In 2011, to February, new BPOM take as many as 18 samples. All test results on samples of products that show did not reveal any contamination by Enterobacter sakazakii.

It must be announced

Minister also promised to announce the results of this test, including if there is a brand of formula milk contaminated with bacteria. To avoid polemics in the future, Minister of Health also said it would make a deal with formula milk manufacturers to announce products found to contain bacteria.

"I ask the company for signatures so they will know if product exposed to bacterial contamination and should be announced so that people know," he said.