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FSDA to ensure safe disposal of used cooking oil; make it profitable too
LUCKNOW: Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) will now ensure the safe disposal of used cooking oil of restaurants and hotels across the state. Under the plan,
LUCKNOW: Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) will now ensure the safe disposal of used cooking oil of restaurants and hotels across the state. Under the plan, which is said to be one-of-its-kind, FSDA is collaborating with a firm that would purchase the used oil from the units and convert it into bio-diesel.
Anita Bhatnagar Jain, additional chief secretary (Food Safety and Drug Administration), while addressing a seminar organised here on Monday, said there was dire need to give a thought to disposal of used cooking oil.
The FSDA drive is part of Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) project, she said.
“In a pan-UP survey, which we carried out a couple of years back, it was found that more than 38,000 litres of oil gets discarded. Also, there is no proper way to discard it. Some just dump it in the sewer and some sell it to some soap factories etc. But there is no concrete proof of that. Hence we are out with a plan under which a company will not only purchase the oil at a cost of Rs 15 per litre but will also convert it into bio-diesel,” said Jain while addressing the gathering of hoteliers and restaurateurs.
She further highlighted the harmful effects of consumption of re-heated or re-used oil. She said the department is also launching a survey from next week to ‘re-ensure’ the total amount of discarded oil from restaurants and hotels in UP.
She said the department would rope in unorganised eateries and other sectors also.
She also said they would roping in the district magistrates to facilitate the survey and educate the masses of the ill-effects of the used or re-heated oil.
Representative of Bio-D company Dhruv, Vipul Agrawal, Anil Varmani, Vasudev Chawla and others were present on the occasion.
Vishnukant Verma, additional commissioner, food, Surendra Jaiswal, president of Hotel and Restaurants Association (north India), Anil Armani, convener Food Processor Association, Lucknow, Vipul Agarwal, additional general manager, Hindustan Petroleum, Lucknow, PK Chatterjee, chief general manager, Indian Oil Corporation, Lucknow and others were also present.
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