Stay healthy, trade your used cooking oil

Ahmedabad: Can food-loving Gujaratis heave a sigh of relief when they get to know that their much-beloved dalwada, bhajiya and fafda are not harmful even when purchased from a commercial establishment?

Biodiesel Association of India (BDAI) surely feels so as the national agency signed an MoU with the Food and Drug Control Authority (FDCA), Gujarat, on Friday to completely remove used cooking oil (UCO) from Ahmedabad and Vadodara completely within two years.

The Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSAI) amendment points that the total polarized compound (TPC) value in edible oil must be less than 25%. Re-heating the oil multiple times forms trans fat that leads to a number of health complications. The FDCA had started the drive with an equipment that can measure TPC value — indicating over 40% establishments using the same oil multiple times for frying. However, the officials admitted that few got penalized for violation of norms.

HG Koshia, commissioner, FDCA, Gujarat, said that the initiative aims at introducing healthy habits among citizens and establishments alike. “It is not just about commercial establishments - the application launched (Repurposed Used Cooking Oil (RUCO)) will also be available to citizens. With the establishment of ground-level network, it would be easy to deposit the UCO so that it can be converted into bio-diesel,” he said. Sandeep Chaturvedi, president of BDAI, said that total national oil consumption is about 22.7 million tons annually out of which about 30% is being used by the western India including Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Thus, if we can change the habit in this region, we can do it anywhere. The project is happening for the first time anywhere in the world and we are aware of the challenges ahead. We however are hopeful,” he said. The launch event also saw participation of Poonamchand Parmar, ACS (health), and Kuldeep Arya, deputy municipal commissioner, AMC. The gropu also launched Swasth Bharat Yatra which would start fro Dandi on November 18 and culminate at Palanpur on December 12 during its Gujarat run.

Are imported pulses dangerous for you and your family?

Food safety regulator FSSAI Thursday said imported pulses and beans are safe for consumption as tests conducted in the last one month found no residue of glyphosate in these commodities.

Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide which is used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses that compete with crops. 

Food safety regulator FSSAI Thursday said imported pulses and beans are safe for consumption as tests conducted in the last one month found no residue of glyphosate in these commodities. Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide which is used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses that compete with crops.

Last month, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had instructed its import offices at ports to start monitoring for presence of glyphosate in pulses and beans.

"Pulses and beans imported into India are safe. ...This is based on results of testing of these products over the past one month," the regulator said in a statement.

The monthly data pertaining to Glyphosate level in pulses received from ports directly handled by the FSSAI was analyzed and it has been observed that of the 319 consignments tested, glyphosate residues were found in only 7 consignments and that too were within the prescribed MRLs, it said.

So, there is no concern of any kind as the FSSAI authorized officers at ports are regularly monitoring the presence of Glyphosate in pulses at the time of import before their clearances, it added. However, FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said the monitoring of pulses for glyphosate will continue for some more time.

The FSSAI prescribes Maximum Residue Level (MRL) of 1.0 mg/kg for the presence of Glyphosate in Tea. There are no prescribed MRLs for "Glyphosate" for pulses.

Agarwal also mentioned that that FSSAI's order dated 12 October 2018 to monitor imported pulses was "misreported" by certain sections of media which creates a scare among public at large about safety of pulses.