FSSAI directs food business operators not to re-use cooking oil directly in food preparation nor re-enter food chain

Dr KK Aggarwal & Advocate Ira Gupta

FSSAI has issued directions under Section 16(5) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 vide circular bearing F.No. 1-2/Stds/O&F/Notification n(II)/FSSAI-2018 dated 30.01.2019 regarding disposal and collection of used cooking oil (UCO).

Repeated use of oil leads to changes in physiochemical, nutritional and sensory properties of edible oil. During frying Total Polar Compounds are formed in the oil which has adverse effects on health.

In this regards, FSSAI had notified Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration) First Amendment Regulations, 2017 on 24th October 2017, which prescribes the limit for Total Polar Compounds (TPC) to be maximum 25% beyond which the vegetable oil is not suitable for use.

To ensure that the used cooking oil is neither directly used in the food preparation nor re-enter the food chain, vide circular dated 30.01.2019, FSSAI had decided that all Food Business Operators whose consumption of edible oil for frying is more than 50 liters per day shall maintain records i.e. date, name of the oil, quantity of oil taken for frying, quantity discarded at the end of the day, date and node of disposal of used cooking oil and discarded oil collected by agency and dispose used cooking oil to agencies authorized by FSSAI or Commissioner of Food Safety of States/UTS.

Further, vide circular dated 30.01.2019 FSSAI has directed that cooking oil having developed Total Polar Compound of more than 25% shall not be topped up with the fresh oil.

The said circular shall come into effect from 1st March 2019.

Dr KK Aggarwal

Padma Shri Awardee

President Elect Confederation of Medical Associations in Asia and Oceania   (CMAAO)

Group Editor-in-Chief IJCP Publications

President Heart Care Foundation of India

Past National President IMA