On the evening of June 24, Vietnam Television (VTV) published information about a large-scale fake cooking oil production case. The Ofood cooking oil brand of Nhat Minh Food Production and Import-Export Company Limited was widely sold on the market under the name of cooking oil supplemented with vitamin A.
However, test results showed that the product did not contain any vitamins as advertised and more seriously, this was a type of vegetable oil that did not meet food safety standards and was only used to make animal feed.
The main places of consumption targeted by these subjects are collective kitchens, restaurants, eateries, and even craft villages that process confectionery and snacks for children...
According to experts, cooking oil used in animal husbandry is often unrefined and may contain impurities, heavy metals, and toxic chemical residues. People who use this type of oil are at risk of serious health effects if used for a long time.
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh - former lecturer at the Institute of Biotechnology and Food ( Hanoi University of Science and Technology) said that it is very difficult to recognize cooking oil for animal feed if it is used in food processing for humans. This type of oil does not leave obvious signs of smell, taste or color like spoiled food, so consumers can hardly detect it with the usual senses.
Using animal feed oil as cooking oil for humans poses a huge health risk.
He emphasized that, just as pig feed is completely different from rice, oil used in animal husbandry and cooking oil for humans are two completely separate products. Oil for livestock is mainly crude oil - unrefined, so it still contains many impurities. These ingredients may not affect livestock, but pose a potential risk to the digestive system and human health.
“Oil for livestock is often added to feed for pigs, cows, buffaloes, etc. to increase energy, serve the fattening process of livestock, and save costs. This is a reasonable purpose in the livestock industry but absolutely should not be used for humans,” Mr. Thinh warned.
In addition to crude vegetable oil, another type of oil used in animal husbandry is used oil – the type of oil that is fried many times in restaurants and hotels, then collected and sold again. Mr. Thinh warned that this type of oil contains many toxic compounds produced during the cooking process at high temperatures, which can seriously affect the liver, kidneys, and nervous system if consumed by humans for a long time.
"Cooking oil for humans must be clean, refined, and meet food safety standards. Crude oil and used oil are two types of oil that absolutely must not be used in human food," he affirmed.
He also said that if you pay attention, you can distinguish between crude oil and refined oil. Specifically, crude oil will have a more unpleasant smell and a darker color than refined oil.
"When choosing cooking oil, consumers need to pay attention to the color and taste of that oil. Usually, cooking oils for humans will have a lighter color, no bad smell, and no impurities," Mr. Thinh advised.
Potential health risks
According to Mr. Thinh, although both are pressed from plant materials such as peanuts, soybeans, corn, etc., cooking oil for humans and oil used for animal husbandry are clearly different in terms of processing. Cooking oil for humans must be thoroughly refined to remove toxins, impurities and unpleasant odors, ensuring that it meets food safety standards and is safe for health.
In contrast, animal feed oil only undergoes preliminary processing, or basic refining, mainly to preserve and supplement fat for livestock such as fish, chicken, pigs, buffalo, cows...
“People need clean, carefully prepared food. Using animal oil to cook for people is not only harmful to health but also a violation of the law,” Mr. Thinh analyzed.
According to the Department of Food Safety ( Ministry of Health ), the use of cooking oil to make food for people seriously violates food safety regulations, potentially affecting public health.
In response to the information that some establishments were discovered using imported cooking oil intended for animal feed to produce and process into cooking oil for human food, the Food Safety Department recommends that food production and trading establishments, especially collective kitchens and ready-to-eat meal suppliers, should request suppliers to clarify the product's declaration and raw material records, not just rely on packaging and labels.
Along with that, do not use ingredients that are not for the declared purpose in food processing, even when there are sufficient invoices and documents.
At the same time, the Food Safety Department emphasized that any intentional use of ingredients not for the registered purpose for food processing, especially in cases where the ingredients are not safe for consumers, will be considered and strictly handled by the authorities according to the provisions of law.
Source: https://nhandan.vn/su-dung-dau-an-ofood-lau-dai-tiem-an-nguy-co-cho-suc-khoe-post889518.html
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