Alfamart, Indomaret Take Kinder Products Off Shelves

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Convenience store chains Alfamart and Indomaret said they immediately took off products from Kinder off the shelves. This step is a follow-up to the notification from the Food and Drug Administration (BPOM) because the product is suspected of containing Salmonella.

"We have stopped the distribution in accordance with the official BPOM release on Monday, April 11," Alfamart's corporate general manager Nur Rachman said in a written statement, Tuesday, April 12.

This temporary suspension is carried out until BPOM has ensured that Kinder products are free from exposure to Salmonella bacteria.

Rahman told Tempo that the supplier is submitting a lab test to BPOM, and that hopefully, the results will be out on the 18th. He added that if the test shows that the products contain harmful content, Alfamart will return them to the manufacturer to be destroyed.

"Consumer safety is our main concern," he said.

Likewise, Indomaret's microeconomics executive director Feki Oktavianus said the company has also take of Kinder Joy products from its stores' displays until the BPOM announced that they are safe to consume.

The Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) has temporarily suspended the distribution of Kinder brand products in Indonesia. It came after the UK's Food Standard Agency (FSA) announced the recall of Kinder Surprise brand chocolate products on April 2, after they were suspected of being contaminated by Salmonella (non-thyroid) bacteria, causing diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps in 63 children.

A number of countries in Europe, such as Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden also issued similar warnings.

The BPOM said that the Kinder products registered with them are manufactured by Ferrero India, PVP, LTD. The variants are Kinder Joy, Kinder Joy for Boys, and Kinder Joy for Girls. The products that are problematic in Europe are those produced by Ferrero N.V/S.A in Belgium.

M. Faiz Zaki