October 30, 2025 | 12:27 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) has seized a shipment of Basreng, an Indonesian fried meatball snack, at the border. As reported by Focus Taiwan, the product was detained because it contained 0.93 grams per kilogram of the preservative, benzoic acid.
According to Taiwan's official Standards for Specifications, Scope, Application, and Limitation of Food Additives, the specific product category to which this snack belongs is strictly prohibited from containing such artificial preservatives. The TFDA formally declared that the preservative level present in the basreng constitutes a violation of the nation's Food Safety and Sanitation Act.
The product, identified as Basreng Cracker, weighed 1.008 kilograms. It was imported to Taiwan by Sheba Enterprise Co. from the manufacturer Isya Food. The TFDA confirmed that the basreng was either returned or destroyed at the border.
The basreng was one of 17 imported products that failed the border inspection on Tuesday. Other rejected goods included cheeses from France and Switzerland, which were found to contain excessive levels of Escherichia coli bacteria.
In September 2025, Taiwan also rejected the Indonesian-produced instant noodle, Indomie Soto Banjar Limau Kuit. That Indomie product was claimed to contain ethylene oxide residues exceeding the country's safety standards.
The Indonesian Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), however, denied this claim. BPOM stated that the instant noodle variant is safe for consumption under Indonesian regulations.
"Based on the examination of BPOM's registration data, the [mentioned] product variant has obtained distribution permits from BPOM, thus it can be traded in Indonesia and remains safe for consumption," BPOM stated in a written public statement.
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