Thailand bans recycled cooking oil

BANGKOK, March 19 (TNA) - Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA), under the Ministry of Public Health, has issued a notice to restaurants and food vendors nationwide, warning them against the use of cancer-prone recycled cooking oil. FDA Secretary-General Boonchai Somboonsuk announced on Tuesday that his ministry has enforced a new regulation under which any person or entity producing or selling products which use recycled cooking oil containing the total polar materials (TPM), which may cause cancer to consumers, higher than the official standard will face a fine of no more than 10,000 baht each, effective from March 13, 2013. Dr. Boonchai acknowledged that samples of recycled cooking oil collected from restaurants and food vendors nationwide were found with its deteriorating quality steadily over the past five years, and that, in 2012 alone, 9.91 per cent of 5,995 recycled cooking oil samples, collected mostly from fresh and flea markets, were found to be sub-standard. The FDI chief told journalists that officials of his agency's 12 mobile units have been sent out to campaign against the use of recycled cooking oil, urging local consumers never to purchase food products made from recycled cooking oil for the sake of their good health. (TNA)