Muhammad Farhan, Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – The National Police's Food Task Force has seized over 200 tons of rice in a major investigation into rice producers accused of selling low-quality rice in bags labeled as premium brands.

Helfi Assegaf, head of the task force, said Thursday that tests were conducted on samples from traditional and modern markets, with laboratory checks revealing that many producers were mislabeling lower-quality rice as premium brands.

"The products did not meet the quality standards stated on the packaging," Helfi said during a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.

The investigation, now escalated to a criminal probe, targets 212 rice brands suspected of mislabeling practices. Helfi said the adulteration was carried out using both modern and traditional methods, with some companies using machines to deliberately set higher broken rice percentages while still labeling the products as premium.

In traditional or manual operations, Helfi added, producers ordered packaging labeled "premium" but filled it with mixed-quality rice sourced from various suppliers without further inspection, misleading consumers while maximizing profits.

"Whatever rice they collect from anywhere, they just pack it into pre-labeled bags and sell it without checking the composition," Helfi said.

The police have questioned 14 witnesses, including agriculture ministry analysts and consumer protection experts, and have seized 201 tons of rice as evidence. This includes 39,036 five-kilogram bags of various premium brands and 2,304 two-and-a-half-kilogram bags.

Seized brands include popular labels such as Sania, Setra Ramos, Setra Pulen, Jelita, and Anak Kembar. Police also confiscated supporting documents, including production and maintenance records, business permits, distribution licenses, and brand certificates.

Helfi said the confiscation would not affect market supply. "There will be no disruption to rice availability," he concluded.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/police-seize-201-tons-of-adulterated-premium-ric