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McDonald’s urges FSSAI to establish standards for cooking oil-in-use
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Saturday, 10 September, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, New Delhi
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fiogf49gjkf0d fiogf49gjkf0d McDonald’s officials recently made a representation to the local food authorities in Jaipur, and presented details of their oil management processes; and expressed interest in extending support to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in formulating the standards for cooking oil-in-use.
“We urge the authorities to expedite the process of defining the standards for oil-in-use; and have committed to provide our full support and share our experience earned across the world, to this process which would help in removing ambiguity in front of the industry; and the local officials”, said the official spokesperson of McDonald’s in the north and east.
On being asked about the recent results announced by the local food authorities in Jaipur on McDonald’s cooking oil, an official of the chain said, “We are surprised at the results of the tests on oil-in-use as there are no standards defined for it by the authority under the regulation.
“Testing the oil-in-use against the standards for fresh oil would always create issues for the business operators, so it is important to establish the standards first for the industry to follow,” he added.
On the oil quality, the official assured, “We have always followed robust oil management practices.”
“These are best in class and ensure that oil-in-use is checked every day and meets all the important parameters of its quality and safety,” he added.
It is interesting to note that in a RTI response, FSSAI confirmed that there were no standards defined for used and fried vegetable oil under its current regulations.
Various industry bodies like the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) food wing have advocated with FSSAI to define a science-based criteria to discard cooking oil that protects the well-being of consumers; and removes ambiguity in front of the industry and helps the local officials in enforcement.
Facts about McDonald’s oil management (box item)
McDonald’s uses RBD palmolein oil as a cooking medium. It is one of the best and safest cooking oils. RBD palmolein oil is extensively used in restaurants and the food processing industry in India.
RBD palmolein oil has high heat tolerance which essentially means that it is stable in high temperature range (from 1200 degree Celsius to 2100 degree Celsius). Cooking oil is evaluated every day on variety of parameters to determine its quality during use.
Depending upon the variations in parameters, the cooking oil is either completely changed or topped up.
Cooking oil-in-use is topped up with fresh oil every day. The oil-in-use is taken through an active filtration process every night that removes impurities and sediments, which assures its strengths and safety during its use.
The colour of the cooking oil is not the single criteria to map its safety. It is considered in conjunction with other important criteria.
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