Prohibited Coloring Agent in Dominating Hazardous Street Food Around Elementary School in Semarang-Indonesia

Snack foods comprise ready-to-eat foods and beverages that are sold by traders. Street foods in Indonesia are often misused by adding hazardous substances those are prohibited or safe limits. The aim of this study was to understand the street food quality and safety in elementary schools in Semarang. This was an observational study conducted by a research technique of simple random sampling. The target of the study was snack foods sold around 32 elementary schools in the city of Semarang. The hazardous substances present in the food were qualitatively analyzed by an easy method using easy testing kits. There were four schools with no exposure to hazardous substances. In addition, rhodamine B is the most often substances added to snack foods primarily sauce, seasoning powder, and jam. The percentage of street foods containing preservatives (formalin and borax), coloring agents (rhodamine B and metanil yellow), and sweeteners (cyclamate and saccharin) is still high. Therefore, It is necessary to control the sales of street foods, especially those containing harmful food additives, to prevent food adulteration. Index Terms—street food, food adulteration, preservatives, coloring agents, sweetener