TEMPO.CO, Kupang – The Belu regency administration of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) has seized and destroyed a ton of fish tainted with formaldehyde that entered the region. The fish were allegedly sent from the capital of Kupang to be sold in the province.
The local Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) was suspicious of the lamuru fish and then decided to seize them. “The results of the BPOM’s tests showed that the fish contained formaldehyde,” Belu regional secretary Petrus Berek told Tempo on Thursday, February 5, 2015.
Petrus said the seized fish had been buried in the ground as they were harmful to human health. He added the authorities had also arrested the sender of the fish, who was not charged but given strong verbal reprimands.
In light of the recent discovery of two tons of formaldehyde-tainted fish, Petrus said his administration would step up its supervision of incoming fish from other regions. “If the fish contain formaldehyde, we will turn them down. If not, please sell them,” he said.
Earlier, the NTT Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agency had confiscated and destroyed 12 tons of fish tainted with formaldehyde from Lembata and East Flores. The fish were found to contain formaldehyde at 0.04 PPM.
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