Home ›› 02 Apr 2022 ›› Editorial
Bangladeshis annually consume about three million tonnes of edible and oils and fats. As revealed by the statistics of Oil World - 2019, a globally recognized source of information on oils and fats, consumption of oils and fats in Bangladesh shows an increasing trend, which is the highest among the developing countries. In 2019, the total consumption of oils and fats was 3.04 million tonnes, which is about 2.97 percent higher than in 2018. The average per capita consumption of oils and fats per year is approaching 18.7 kilograms. As per Oil World, during the last couple of years, the average per capita consumption of oils and fats in Bangladesh has increased steadily. Consumption of oils and fats, in general, is on a growing trend keeping pace with population growth, economic development, and increase in purchasing power of the general consumers.
With the increasing use of oils and fats, there is an urgent need for hygienically recycling the waste cooking oil. Transforming the waste cooking oil to biodiesel can reduce environmental emissions and achieve economic value. Some small efforts are going on in that respect. Biotech Energy – the first waste cooking oil recycling plant in Bangladesh – recycles six tonnes of waste cooking oil every month to produce 5.4 tonnes of biodiesel and glycerine. Using mini-trucks, the company collects waste oil and delivers biodiesel to petrol pumps using tank-lorries. Supporting policies and incentives are needed for investment in this non-traditional sector is required.
More than 14 million tonnes of edible oils are consumed in China each year. As the recycling supply chain is not mature, the Chinese government is experimenting with various policies to improve waste cooking oil management. However, evidence shows that current policies have shortcomings, which reduce the efficiency and sustainability of the supply chain, recycling, and bio-refineries capacities.
Waste cooking oil, produced when hotels, restaurants, and food processing industries repeatedly overheat the same batch of oil to cook food, is toxic enough to pollute soil and water upon contact. The repeated use of the same batch of cooking oil for preparing food also triggers the formation of Trans Fatty Acid, which the National Heart Foundation has linked to heart diseases in consumers. This is not known to our consumers; especially young people have been spending the best times of their lives in various hotels and restaurants.
From the relevant statistics, it is seen that only a negligible portion of used cooking oil is collected, mostly by informal collectors, without maintaining quality. These are then sold back to cheap restaurants, entering the food chain and causing serious health hazards. The impact of used cooking oil is a serious concern. There is a lack of knowledge and the absence of required policy and its implementation. Formal collection system of the used cooking oil and its recycling is one of the major areas that need to be looked into. Especially the health safety issues coming up in a big way, should be one of our priority areas of concern.
Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) and Muenzer Bangla Private Limited- a subsidiary of Muenzer Bioindustrie of Europe recently organized a dialogue to highlight the impact of used cooking oil (UCO) on food safety and consumer's health. The event was held to create awareness regarding the harmful impact of used cooking oil, and how it can be safely disposed and help the stakeholders understand how to block the used cooking oil from re-entering the food chain.
It came up in the discussion that cooking oil with a high percentage of polar compounds is the prime cause for some of the worst diseases. Therefore, a proper testing system should be in place to monitor polar compounds in market foods. Cooking oil needs to be recollected and a proper system needs to be put in place for the sake of health safety. A formal collection system of used cooking oil is essential.
Münzer Bioindustrie GmbH will establish the first 100 per cent UCO-based whole circle biodiesel plant in Maharashtra, India. They are willing to have a similar investment in Bangladesh. Used cooking oil needs to be replaced with fresh cooking oil to ensure food safety. Food safety is closely related to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. Pricing mechanisms, such as that of Europe, are an important aspect of collecting used cooking oil.
Muenzer Bangla initiated a National Used Cooking Oil Collection Mission for Bangladesh and is working to prevent health hazards by informing their partners through visual quality standards inspection, specific quality checks and providing scientific quality results. They provide tailor-made services in four steps:
◉ Collection of used cooking oil with their bins
◉ Emptying the bins and replacing them with new hygienic bins
◉ Removing food and cooking residues
◉ Weighing and documenting before emptying bins
Formal regulation of government for ensuring collection of used cooking oil and preventing the reuse of cooking oil in foods is crucial.
Representatives of FAO present in the dialogue informed that the food safety of the street vendors is one of the prime concerns for them. Waste management is one of the core issues of FAO's initiative to ensure the proper disposal of waste. FAO initiated several projects in many districts regarding food safety in collaboration with Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) and local governments. BSTI permits the use of cooking oils when the acid level does not exceed the level-4 parameter. In this regard, the quick testing facility can be helpful to assess the state of used oil.
In the dialogue, the issue was raised on how cooking oil can be discarded and how the cooking oil can be checked. The government should formulate proper testing system. A checklist is also required for using testing kits. Reused cooking oil is a major factor in causing serious diseases. Oil is costly in the country and rate of reusing cooking oil is very high. Awareness generation is very important among consumers in this respect. Food Safety Authority has a big role to play in this respect.
Food contamination and exposure to food hazards have major implications on food security in Bangladesh. This problem persists throughout the food chain due to food adulteration, pesticide residues, and microbiological contamination, among other challenges. However, in the recent years, Bangladesh has taken great strides to improve its regulatory systems for food safety to improve market access and participation in the international trading system and improve access to safe food for local consumers. As Bangladesh continues to make progress in becoming a middle-income country, food safety is vital to the rise of a healthy population and a growing economy.
Reusing cooking oil is extremely harmful to our health, according to nutritionists. Reusing cooking oil increases cholesterol, creates peroxides acid, causing cancer, attacks organ cells, and can infect the white blood cells. Due to a lack of a proper collection system, some of the used cooking oil also ends up in the environment, causing environmental degradation. Increasing awareness about the importance of managing this hazardous waste with a direction on when and how to discard it is important. Educating the users and consumers about the whole supply chain is very important.
On February 2 of each year, Bangladesh celebrates National Food Safety Day across the country with a pledge to ensure safe food for all. In 2018, the Government of Bangladesh designated this day to demonstrate its commitment to ensure safe food to save lives and safeguard the health of the people. As Bangladesh's economy weathers the disruptive impact of Covid-19 pandemic, it is important to ensure food safety is a public health priority- an essential step to achieve food security.
Bangladesh Food Safety Authority should have guidelines regarding using used cooking oil. On the other hand, used cooking oil can be used as value-added products taking the environmental aspects into account. Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has developed Food Hygiene Regulations and Food Contact Material Regulations. These regulations need to be followed properly. The used cooking oil is treated as waste, and it cannot be used considering the health issues. In the case of using it as a by-product, proper regulations need to be put in place.
Bangladesh Food Safety Act 2013 was formulated to ensure the health and safety of consumers. BFSA is dedicated to raising awareness about used cooking oils and its impact on health and the environment. The safety act prohibits the use of used cooking oils for consumption. On the other hand, used cooking oils can be a great source of biofuel, and its implications could be assessed widely. The government could work on formulating policy in coordination with relevant stakeholders to develop a world-class collection system for used cooking oil to save lives and the planet. BFSA will ensure that the Codex Alimentarius (food code) international standards regarding edible oil are maintained in Bangladesh as in other countries. Relevant organisations can collaborate and encourage foreign partners and investment in this area.
The writer is CEO, BUILD-a Public Private Dialogue Platform. She can be contacted at ceo@buildbd.org
