Obstacles of food label policy implementation on food micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) in Jakarta and Semarang

Background: Food labels have an important role on consumers’ decision making when purchasing a product. The government has set various policies in an effort to ensure food safety through correct and clear labeling, including Regulation Number 18 in 2012 regarding Food. However, implementation of these policies is not optimal and many violations occur especially in Micro, Small, and Medium Food Enterprises (MSME). This research aimed to analyze the factors that affect the implementation of food labeling policies in food MSME in Jakarta and Semarang, Indonesia. Method: This is a qualitative study aimed at identifying stakeholders’ views through in-depth interviews and Focused Group Discussions (FGD). Content analysis was performed to determine the thematic phenomena, in addition to observation of 12 MSME products in Jakarta and 7 products in Semarang as a form of triangulation to maintain data validity. The analysis was detailed by framework implementation of Edward III policy which includes four variables that affect the implementation of a policy, namely communication, resources, disposition, and bureaucracy structure. Results: Observations of MSME food labels revealed major violations in Jakarta (91.6%) and Semarang (85.7%) as production codes were not printed on the labels. This low rate of policy implementation was caused by the lack of government support which limited socialization frequency, resource allocation, monitoring and evaluation that also affected coordination across sectors, causing a low success rate of the monitoring and maintenance program for food MSME. Conclusions: Implementation of food labeling policies in food MSME in Jakarta and Semarang is not optimal as proven by the high rate of violations towards items to be posted on food labels. In response, the government should enhance the frequency of communication, resource allocation, monitoring and evaluation, as well as coordination across sectors to ensure optimum implementation of the policy in Jakarta and Semarang.