Based on data from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), there were 4,792 cases of food poisoning between January 1 and October 16, 2023.
Cucu Cakrawati Kosim, Head of the Food Sanitation Working Team at the Kemenkes Directorate of Environmental Sanitation, stated that the number of food poisoning cases increased by more than 1,000 compared to the total of 3,514 cases recorded in 2022.
"Currently, even though it's only October, the number has already exceeded (food poisoning cases) in 2022," said Cucu in a webinar entitled *Food Laboratory Networking Socialization*, Tuesday (24/10/2023).
From the beginning of the year to mid-October 2023, West Java had the highest number of food poisoning cases nationally, with 1,679 cases.
Following West Java are Central Java with 1,082 cases, East Java with 701 cases, Yogyakarta with 530 cases, and West Sumatra with 184 cases. The remaining cases are included in the graph.
Based on the source, food poisoning cases were dominated by home-cooked meals, accounting for 53%. Cucu explained that this can occur when people cook together for celebrations.
In addition, food poisoning cases were also found to originate from street food vendors (17%), catering services (15%), packaged food (4%), restaurants (4%), and food stalls (7%).
(Read also: NTB, the Province with the Most Non-Communicable Disease Screening in 2023)