Indonesia wants to ban noodle snack with illustrated bikini on its packaging
A noodle snack's box carrying an illustration of a woman's torso wearing a bikini is getting Indonesian authorities hot under the collar.
The packaging's design also carries the words "squeeze me" (remas aku) in Bahasa Indonesia, and officials in the Muslim majority country want it off the shelves, local reports say.
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) is pushing the food authority to pull the "Bikini Noodle" snack, saying it's inappropriate, especially for kids.
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The head of the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM), Abdul Rahim, also told reporters that he's doubtful the snack's manufacturers even got proper approval from his agency, since it depicts "pornography".
Online ads for Bikini Noodles have been pulled on some media platforms. OLX Indonesia, an ad network, took down the noodles' ads from its carousels, Daniel Tumiwa, CEO of OLX Indonesia said in a statement.
@Mozaik_Islam, a religious group, said on Instagram it supported a ban: "This nation is a religious one and it has rules ... Parents should be more selective in choosing snacks for their children."
The snack has been retailing for at least the past year, and appears to have gone through a slight redesign, retaining the bikini and "squeeze me" phrase.
Victoria Ho is Mashable's Asia Editor, based in Singapore. She previously reported on news and tech at The Business Times, TechCrunch and ZDNet. When she isn't writing, she's making music with her band
