BPOM: Claims on Food Labels Must Not Mislead Consumers

Indonesia's Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) is enforcing regulations that prohibit misleading claims on food product labels, aiming to protect consumers from deceptive marketing practices. Businesses are forbidden from making claims that create a false impression about a product's superiority or falsely advertise the absence of certain substances.

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Yes, that is in accordance with BPOM regulations.

Dwiana Handayani, Director of Processed Food Standardization at BPOM, confirmed that these rules are outlined in BPOM Regulation Number 1 of 2022 concerning the Supervision of Claims on Processed Food Labels and Advertisements. The regulation stipulates that producers cannot claim a product is free from a specific substance if that substance was never included in the ingredients or packaging from the outset.

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We have no further comment. The regulations are finalized. BPOM regulations clearly state that producers are prohibited from claiming on their labels that their product packaging is free from a certain substance, when the packaging itself did not contain that substance from the beginning.

This initiative aligns with Article 100 of Law Number 18 of 2012 on Food, which mandates that all food labels must contain information that is truthful, clear, and not misleading. Policy observer Trubus Rahadiansyah supports this, emphasizing that label information must be verifiable and not create erroneous perceptions. He added that BPOM's oversight is crucial for fostering healthy business competition and ensuring consumers make rational choices based on objective information, preventing marketing strategies that exploit public anxieties.

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Information on labels must explain the contents that are indeed in the product or packaging. It should not cause consumers to make decisions based on irrelevant or misleading information.