The Food Safety department’s initiative to convert used cooking oil into raw material for producing biofuel may resolve a long-standing problem with serious health consequences.
For years, used cooking oil from hotels and restaurants found its way into the grey market with no mechanism to monitor the purposes for which it was used.
“In a survey we conducted, it was found that reused cooking oil was mostly used by small-time eateries, including ‘thattukadas’ and soap manufacturing units, both of which are harmful to health. The availability of used oil at negligible price enabled small eateries to fix a relatively cheaper selling price for their products. This was one of the reasons why the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India launched RUCO [Repurpose Used Cooking Oil] initiative,” said P.K. John Vijayakumar, Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety, Ernakulam.
