By NNN-Bernama
Jakarta : Indonesia has banned the import of food supplements, cosmetics and medicine from China which are said to pose health hazards.
The ban, which was effective early this month, followed findings that the medicines contained chemical substances while the cosmetics were mixed with mercury and rhodamin and its food products were mixed with formalin which were dangerous to health.
"The ban will only be lifted after the authorities had inspected them," Indonesian Medicine and Food Control Organisation (BPOM) Chief Husniah Rubiana Thamrin Akib said here today.
Husniah said the ban was also imposed by other countries, which found that these products contained hazardous substances.
BPOM was also carrying out inspections on all goods from China to check those which contained the dangerous agents with a view of destroying them.
Meanwhile, Head of the National Medicinal Analysis and Food Centre, Siam Subagyo said 79 food items from China were checked recently and the results would be known next week.
Among the products were seven types of chewing gum, plum sweets, and three types of tooth paste which contained chemicals for use as a freezer in refrigerators and lubricating oil.
Husniah said there was a possibility that the items were dumped here after the Chinese government had banned them.
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