Fifty Percents Street Vendors Uses Borax and Formalin

jpnn.com - JAKARTA – DKI Jakarta’s micro, small and medium enterprises (UMKM) agency has considered Jakarta’s street vendors (PKL) far from being orderly. Orderly means that they can guarantee their food hygiene and do not operate in public facilities. Nurhidayat of DKI Jakarta UMKM agency stated this during a discussion themed “Building Jakarta With 5 Orderliness,” organized by Young Indonesian Caucus (KMI) in Press Council Building, Jakarta on Monday, 21 December.

“For more profit, they have used preserving chemicals such as formaline and borax. This is inhumane as the people buy and consume poison like food, which is as dangerous as narcotics. At least there is 50% of street vendors in Jakarta and surrounding areas which keep using dangerous substances for human health,” Nurhidayat said.

He further stated that the dangerous substances usage was also found in Lenggang area, a pilot project area for modern and orderly street vendors (PKL). “In Lenggang Jakarta borax and formalin usage was also found, though it was not much,” Nurhidayat added.

Thus, to guarantee the people’s safety in the future, UMKM agency will be actively inspect some street vendors’ points in Jakarta and then organize them. “We hope that street vendors will return their dignity and get more income as well as the people can be safe consuming their food,” he said. (fas/apa/jpnn)