Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — PT Indofood CBP Sukses Makmur Tbk (ICBP), the producer of Indomie instant noodles, addressed the recent recall of three Indomie variants in Australia. Management emphasized that, the instant noodle products mentioned in the reports were not officially exported by the company for the Australian market, as reported by Panji Rakyat.
Gideon A. Putro, Corporate Secretary of Indofood CBP, explained the recalled Indomie products were parallel imports brought into Australia by unauthorized importers. As a result, these products failed to meet Australia’s export compliance requirements.
“Following our review, the instant noodle products mentioned in the reports were not officially exported by Indofood for the Australian market. They were parallel imports conducted by unauthorized importers, as evidenced by the product packaging labeled in Indonesian rather than English,” Gideon said in a disclosure to the Indonesia Stock Exchange on Friday, December 20.
According to the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) website, the recalled products include Indomie Mi Goreng Rendang (expiry dates: May 3, 2025, and December 23, 2024), Indomie Ayam Bawang (expiry dates: April 28, 2025, and April 1, 2024), Indomie Soto Mie (expiry dates: April 27, 2025, and April 10, 2025), and Indomie Mi Goreng Aceh (expiry dates: December 25, 2024, and April 3, 2025).
Gideon emphasized that these products were originally intended for the Indonesian market and had obtained distribution permits from Indonesia’s Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM). The allergen information on the packaging was printed in bold, in compliance with BPOM Regulation No. 31 of 2018 concerning Processed Food Labeling.
In contrast, Indomie instant noodles products officially exported by Indofood to Australia carry the label ‘Export Product’ and are printed with English descriptions, including allergen content, in accordance with Australian regulatory requirements.
“All branded consumer products officially exported by Indofood, including Indomie to Australia, adhere to the safety standards and regulations enforced by each destination country’s authorities,” Gideon said.
Australia Recalls Three Indomie Noodles Variants Over Undeclared Allergens
He further clarified that all Indomie instant noodles produced by Indofood in Indonesia comply with BPOM’s food safety standards and meet the Codex Standard for Instant Noodles. Indomie products are certified under Indonesia’s National Standard (SNI) and adhere to international food safety management systems, including ISO 22000 and FSSC 22000.
“Therefore, Indomie products officially exported to Australia fully meet the requirements set by local authorities,” he added.
Gideon assured stakeholders that there are currently no sanctions or penalties imposed by Australian authorities on Indofood regarding the recall. The officially exported Indomie instant noodles products continue to be distributed and marketed normally in Australia through Indofood’s authorized distributors, without any product recalls or holds imposed by local authorities.
(Raidi/Agung)
