Kerala to convert used cooking oil into biodiesel

KOCHI: To ensure food safety and prevent health hazards owing to the consumption of used cooking oil, food business operators(FBOs) in the state comprising caterers, restaurants, hotels and bakers have decided to be part of the Repurpose Used Cooking Oil(RUCO) - an initiative of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI). The plan is to hand over used cooking oil to an FSSAI accredited service provider to convert the same into bio-diesel. 

Around 60 tonnes of used cooking oil will be repurposed to biodiesel as part of the initiative. As per the standards set by FSSAI, cooking oil can be reused until it reaches a maximum Total Polar Compound(TPC), which is considered as the accurate indicator of the quality of frying oil, at a limit of 25 per cent. It is learned that the toxicity of the compounds in the fryer can cause several diseases including hypertension, liver disease and Alzheimer’s. 

The initiative will also help protect the environment as used oil often ends up in water bodies causing pollution. The service provider will pay Rs 25 per kg used oil to the FBOs. A senior official with the Commissionerate of Food Safety said that RUCO-labelled containers would be given to FBOs for collecting used oil. 

“Every FBO will have to maintain a register in this regard and our food safety officers will be checking the register to ensure that the used cooking oil is disposed of scientifically,” said the officer. As many as 50,000 hotels registered under Kerala Hotels and Restaurants Association (KHRA) and around 1,000 catering units in the state have agreed with the service provider to cart away used cooking oil. 

KHRA state secretary and Thiruvananthapuram district president B Vijayakumar said that the service provider will be transporting the used cooking oil collected from the FBOs to K Nandini Refineries at Uttarakhand. “Almost every district has entered into an agreement. There are several FBOs without membership in our association. We are taking the effort to include them too,” said Vijayakumar. 

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FSSAI launched RUCO in 2018 which aims to promote a healthier lifestyle and cleaner environment.
To create awareness amongst the masses on the hazards of reusing cooking oil.
The service provider will pay Rs 25 per kg used cooking oil to FBOs.