REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel said here Thursday the government and traders' association are sweeping markets to find imported apples from the United States contaminated by the Listeria Monocytogenes bacteria.
"The market sweeping is ongoing," said Rahmat, adding that the government will soon announce the result of the sweeping activity.
According to the minister, the contaminated apples from California, US, were contaminated during its packaging process and not on the farm.
Earlier, Ambassador of the United States to Indonesia Robert Blake said his country is taking the contamination issue seriously.
"Our government is taking this matter seriously, we will not only stop exporting the product but also find the core problem," said Blake.
The ambassador also said he respects the decision of the Indonesian government to anticipate the spread of the contamination in Indonesia.
On January 26, the Indonesian Trade Ministry banned the import of apples from the United States, especially those packed in Bidart Bros, Bakersfield, California, due to the alleged contamination by Listeria Monocytogenes bacteria.
The Trade Ministry's Director General of Standardization and Consumer Protection Widodo said traders who have already imported the apples are not allowed to distribute it to the market.
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