Police arrested two noodle factory owners in Bandung, Aceng Sarifudin and Diman, on Wednesday. The two men confessed to mixing the raw ingredients for their noodles with formaldehyde (generally referred to as formalin in Indonesia), a chemical best known for preserving corpses.
“After undergoing examination, both factory owners were found to have mixed formalin into their noodles, so their status has been upgraded to criminal suspects. They have already been arrested by us,” said Bandung Police Superintendent Nugroho Arianto , as quoted by Detik on Wednesday.
Police seized evidence of more than 3 tons of formaldehyde noodles from the factory. Aceng and Diman’s violation of the 1999 Consumer Protection law carries a possible punishment of up to five years in prison, according to Nugroho.
Aceng’s factory, which was located in Bandung’s Bojongloa district, produced 2 tons of noodles per day, while Diman’s, located on Jl. Karasak, produced 1.2 tons of noodles per day.
Crooked food producers use formaldehyde to make their food look fresh longer, but the chemical has seriously negative effects on health. Short term exposure can cause diarrhea, vomiting and cramping. Long-term exposure can lead to skin rashes, damage to the nervous system and cancer.
Source: Detik
