Holiday Ayo - 

The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) has detained a batch of Indonesian fried meatball snacks, commonly known as basreng, after laboratory tests revealed excessive levels of benzoic acid, surpassing the country’s food safety limits. The detained products were produced by Isya Food and imported into Taiwan by Taiwan Sheba Enterprise Co.

In response, Indonesia’s National Agency of Drug and Food Control (BPOM) clarified that the detained basreng products are not officially registered for distribution. BPOM Chief Prof. Taruna Ikrar stated that the items originated from a home-based food industry (IRTP) without proper permits or official labeling.

“The product is not registered with the local health office and does not display a valid SPP-IRT number,” Prof. Taruna said in a written statement on Wednesday (November 5, 2025).

BPOM is currently investigating the raw materials used in production. Under BPOM Regulation No. 11 of 2019, the use of benzoic acid in snack products such as basreng is not permitted, while sodium benzoate is only allowed in fish ball products, with a maximum limit of 500 mg/kg.

According to TFDA’s report, two variants of Isya Food’s products were recalled:

• Regular Fried Meatballs (1,072 kg) containing 0.05 g/kg of benzoic acid.

• Savory Fried Meatballs (1,008 kg) containing 0.02 g/kg.

Previously, TFDA also detained 1,008 kg of Basreng Crackers from the same company, found to contain 0.93 g/kg of benzoic acid.

“Products found inconsistent with documentation will be either returned or destroyed in accordance with existing regulations,” TFDA stated firmly.