Bulk vegetable oil transport containers must be specified for food use only and clearly labelled as such from February, according to Beijing’s new regulations following a scandal that saw cooking oil transported in uncleaned fuel tankers.
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A set of hygienic standards for transporting cooking oil released by the State Administration for Market Regulation last month ruled that no cooking oil can be shipped in containers that have been used for non-food products.
It also requires cooking oil tanks to be labelled “designated for edible oil” or “designated for food”.
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China launches high-level probe after paper says fuel tankers used to carry cooking oil
China launches high-level probe after paper says fuel tankers used to carry cooking oil
The release of the standard follows a report by Beijing News in July that said it had followed two truck drivers who transported loads of cooking oil from both a subsidiary of state-owned Sinograin and the private Hopefull Grain and Oil Group.
The report said it was “an open secret” in the industry for cooking oil to be transported in fuel tanks without prior cleaning, prompting a public outcry and a state-level investigation.
The next month, an investigative report described the incident as “extremely severe in nature”, “violating basic common sense, trampled on moral and legal boundaries, and was a typical example of illegal and criminal behaviour that must be severely punished”.
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A truck that was cited in the report was carrying 35.91 tonnes of Sinograin cooking oil, including 11 tonnes used for animal food.