The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced that restaurants will no longer be able to reuse cooking oil multiple times. The new restriction, which will go into effect from March 3, will prohibit reusing cooking oil more than 3 times by a restaurant or eatery.
Noting that ‘repeated frying of oil leads to changes in physiochemical, nutritional, and sensory properties of edible oil,’ the FSSAI has sought to regulate the quality of oil that food operators use on a daily basis.
It is vital to understand that oil becomes too acidic when reused multiple times, and after a certain point, the oil becomes unsafe for consumption. When oil is repeatedly used, the compounds that are formed are called Total Polar Compounds (TPCs), and a high rate of TPCs can have a negative effect on a person's health. Hypertension, liver disease, increased cholesterol and atherosclerosis are some of the health risks posed by consuming such oil.
“Total Polar Compounds are formed in the oil which have adverse effects on health. In this regard, Food authority has notified Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration) First Amendment Regulation, 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," reads the circular issued by the FSSAI’s Joint Director of Regulatory Compliance Praveen Jargar.
"To ensure that such used cooking oil is neither directly used in the food preparation nor re-enters the food chain, it has been decided that all Food Business Operators whose consumption of edible oils for frying is more than 50 litres per day shall maintain the following records and dispose used cooking oil to agencies authorised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India or Commissioner of Food Safety of States/UTs from time to time,” the circular continues.
The FSSAI has also stated that any cooking oil found to have Total Polar Compounds of more than 25 percent cannot be “topped up with fresh oil.”
As part of the new regulations, food operators will be required to maintain a chart to track and monitor the type of oil and quantity taken for frying each day and the amount that is discarded at the end of the day as well. The date and method of disposal of the oil has to be recorded as well.
The FSSAI has entrusted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with making sure that restaurants and eateries comply with these new rules before March 3.