Dear readers,
Do you usually need a snack in the afternoon? I don’t, but the whole office likes a light bite of the season. Eky, who leads our digital team, sure knows which app gets us the best food.
When we feel peckish, we send ‘boba milk tea’ or ‘honey-glazed fried bananas’ into her online basket. But who knows whether those bites are safe to eat? Standing at a roadside kiosk we know when the vendor melts plastic bags into the frying oil to make the snacks crispy. Ordering online, we cannot see the frying oil used for the bananas. And since the food is delivered by courier, who guarantees it was protected before it arrived in Eky’s hands?
Eky is among millions of users in Indonesia who ponder this. And with good reason. The years 2000-2015 saw over 60,000 cases of food poisoning in Indonesia.
The risks are increasing because getting a meal online has long become the norm. In 2018 alone, Go-Food, one of the largest online food delivery platforms in Indonesia, claimed to process the US $2 billion in Gross Transaction Value.
Food delivery systems must ensure the safety of consumers.
In April, the National Agency of Drug and Food Control issued a new regulation to supervise online distributed food, but this won’t make Eky worry less. Why not? Wait for our policy analysis on food safety in e-commerce to understand her concerns. CIPS should have the paper on our website in just a few weeks.
During the current crisis, all food vendors and other microbusinesses are encouraged to go digital. This helps impoverished households and speeds up economic recovery, so CIPS takes a closer look at that. We find that regulatory solutions need a healthy dialogue between the public and private sectors. Our four-day online conference on 21-24 July does exactly that. Come and join, if you are interested!
The conference consists of eight sessions, with some conducted in English. We have a fascinating line-up of speakers. Discussions cover data protection, content rules, digital taxes, e-payments, e-signatures and so much more—what’s your pick?
We are still all working from home, and I guess Eky is right now nibbling on some funky snacks that she ordered online. You should get your favorite snack ready before you tune in for our conference!
Salam hangat,
Rainer Heufers
Where We (Virtually) Went
Growing Indonesia’s Presence and Role in Future GVCs
Our associate researcher Andree spoke about regulatory barriers to foreign direct investment (FDI) in a webinar that we held with Forum Kajian Pembangunan.
Food Security and Poverty in Indonesia
In another event with Forum Kajian Pembangunan, our researchers Iqbal and Felippa shared their research findings on the effects of non-tariff measures on food price, poverty and consumption.
Distance Learning during Covid-19 in Indonesia
Our researcher Nadia talked about the challenges of distance learning during Covid-19 in Indonesia in a webinar with INOVASI Program and Forum Kajian Pembangunan.
Accelerating Economic Recovery through Resilience and Cooperation
Our researcher Felippa moderated a panel discussion held by European Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia, with the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Communication and Information Technology among the resource persons.
CIPS in the News
The Jakarta Post - Indonesian Farmers Suffer Pandemic-Related Losses in May
Don't forget to check out and download our policy papers here. Through these papers, we present evidence-based arguments to recommend policy changes that focus on building prosperity and better livelihoods for low-income Indonesians.
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