Ahmedabad: To check the unhealthy practice of reusing the same cooking oil, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has set a new mandate for food outlets selling fried snacks and other food items. Units using 50 litres or more of oil a day must have a total polar compounds (TPC) tester machine and keep daily records. The AMC has identified 43 large units as using 50 litres or more of cooking oil daily. These units have a month to comply with the new regulations.The regulation was announced at Wednesday’s meeting of AMC’s standing committee. Devang Dani, chairman of the committee said, “Citizens’ health is our priority. When oil is repeatedly used for frying, its physical and chemical properties change, creating TPCs that are extremely harmful to health. The FSSAI has set a maximum TPC limit of 25% in cooking oil.” Dani added, “All food business operators (FBOs) using 50 litres or more of oil daily must now have a digital TPC tester machine and maintain a daily record on the date, quantity of used oil, TPC reading, and name of the authorized disposal agency. Oil should not be heated more than thrice, and fresh oil should never be added to used oil. If the oil appears dark or emits a blue-grey smoke, it should be disposed of immediately.”He further said, “Used oil must be given only to govt-authorized agencies under the repurpose used cooking oil (Ruco) initiative.”
