PORTALJABAR, BOGOR CITY - The West Java Provincial Government received a mobile laboratory vehicle from the National Food Agency. Acting Governor Bey Machmudin symbolically received a car for food safety and security at the IPB International Convention Center, Botani Square Building, Bogor City, Monday (20/11/2023).

Bey really appreciates the help of this mobile lab car. According to him, the mobile lab car program from Bapanas is crucial proof of the importance of food security for the Indonesian people.

It is not only food availability that the government must pay attention to, but also the safety of the existing food. "With this car, we no longer have an excuse that the food we all consume must be safe," said Bey Machmudin.

"It must be 100 percent safe from prohibited ingredients," he added.

In order to ensure fresh food security for all Indonesian people, the National Food Agency (Bapanas) provides mobile laboratory cars to nine provinces in Indonesia, one of which is West Java.

Apart from West Java, other provinces that also received mobile lab cars were Lampung, DKI Jakarta, Banten, Central Java, East Java, South Sulawesi and Yogyakarta which received two units.

"First, nine (cars), later we will expand to the other 38 provinces," said Bapanas Head Arief Prasetyo Adi.

Arief said that the mobile lab car was equipped with rapid test equipment, ranging from reagents, refrigerators, dispensers and others. With this facility, users can detect dangerous contents in food ingredients sold in markets, such as borax, pesticides and formaldehyde.

"We hope that by having a rapid test like this, it will only take 15 minutes for us to know which foods are not allowed (to be marketed). "So there is already a residue threshold (safe standard)," said Arief.

Arief requested that regional heads continue to monitor the use of these mobile lab cars, by making inspection schedules for markets in their respective regions in a mobile and comprehensive manner.

"I instructed this car to go around the markets, so one day if necessary several markets (were visited). "This mobility will later be controlled by the governor or regent, mayor in each region," he appealed.

Food Safety Management
On the same occasion, Bapanas gave a certificate of appreciation for the assessment of the fresh food safety supervision management system at the provincial level Regional Food Safety Competent Authorities (OKKPD) throughout Indonesia.

As a result, West Java received the Very Good title along with five other provinces, namely Central Java, East Java, Banten, Lampung and West Sumatra.

There are also nine provinces that received a good title, namely Bali, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Jambi, Central Kalimantan, North Maluku, Maluku, West Sulawesi and South Sumatra.