Coalition for Public Health Protection (KOPMAS) Asks Producers to Remove Milk Label from SCM Products

JAKARTA,Indonesia,Oct. 29,2018 -- Coalition for Public Health Protection (Koalisi Perlindungan Kesehatan Masyarakat - KOPMAS) asks producers to immediately remove the label of milk from sweetened condensed milk (SCM) products. The call was stated in the KOPMAS declaration at Monas,Sunday (10/28),in order to educate public that sweetened condensed milk is additive product used as food additives or toppings,and is no longer consumed as milk.

KOPMAS Declaration to oversee government policies related to public health at Monas,Sunday (10/28).

Among the activists who joined the declaration were the Nova-inspirational women Yuli Supriati,Arif Hidayat (Abhipraya Insan Cendekia Foundation),Aan (JKN Bekasi volunteer),Sofie (People's Health council),REPDEM heroine,Central Jakarta Health Care Women,and Posyandu activists in Greater Jakarta.

Chairman of KOPMAS Arif Hidayat said the pressure on producers to immediately remove the word 'milk' on SCM label was as a public response to Perka No. 31 concerning Processed Food Labels which had just been approved by BPOM on October 19. A number of articles contain provisions relating to sweetened condensed milk,including article 54 and article 67,point W and X.

Article 54 says that producers are required to include the text on the product label:

Pay attention!

Not to replace Mother's Milk

Not suitable for babies up to the age of 12 months

Not to be used as the only source of nutrition.

While article 67 point W contains a prohibition in the form of statements/visualizations illustrating that condensed milk and analogues are served as a single dish in the form of milk and as the only source of nutrition. Point X contains a prohibition on statement/visualization which solely displays children under the age of 5 (five) years on condensed milk and its analogues.

"With the issuance of Perka BPOM which contains provisions regarding sweetened condensed milk,we hope that there will be no more people who consume SCM by pouring it into hot water and think of it as a nutritious drink,especially if it is consumed by children. This is wrong. The sugar content of this product is very high,reaching 50%,while the nutritional value is very low,at risk for children's health. Therefore,we ask producers to care and be willing to participate in educating the public by not showing visuals that describe SCM as milk,said Arif Hidayat.

Previously,the rules regarding sweetened condensed milk were contained in Circular (SE) No HK.06.5.51.511.05.18.2000 year 2018 concerning Labels and Ads on Condensed Milk and Analog Products. The regulation says that producers are prohibited from (1) displaying children under the age of five in any form in SCM product labels and advertisements and the like,(2) using visualization that the products of Condensed Milk and Analogs (Food Category 01.3) are considered the same with other milk products as an addition of nutrients,other dairy products include cow milk/ pasteurized milk / sterilized milk / formula milk / growth milk,(3) using visualization of images of liquid milk and / or milk in a glass and served with brewing to be consumed as a drink and (4) displaying advertisements during children's shows.

"Although the provision regarding SCM have now been strengthened to become Perka,we hope that BPOM will not immediately annul the regulation regarding Labels and Ads on Condensed and Analog Milk products,considering that Perka No. 31 is only limited to regulating labels. While the provision regulates advertisements on SCM,Perka does not seem to provide the regulation about the issue. As the matter of fact,advertising is one of the media that encourages people to make decisions about choosing and buying food and beverage products for families," Arif said.

Yuli Supriati,a public health activist who is also a member of KOPMAS,expressed her appreciation for the rapid steps taken by BPOM in issuing rules and policies related to the polemic of sweetened condensed milk. "We appreciate the BPOM that immediately took a step. We know that the issue of sweetened condensed milk has existed since long ago,but like an iceberg,this issue re-exploded with the discovery of children with nutritional problems and even died from consuming sweetened condensed milk. Therefore,we hope BPOM does not provide a gap for producers who want to say this product is milk that is safe to consume by children," said Yuli.

Furthermore,KOPMAS hopes that producers can also move quickly to adjust the product label with the BPOM policy. Thus,efforts to educate the public about fat salt sugar get more optimal results. "KOPMAS is ready to be a government partner in guarding this policy," explained Arif Hidayat.

Information contact:

Arif Hidayat +62 859-2120-0979

Yuli Supriyati +62 817-7912-3775

Photo - /20181029/2281946-1