Call for Hong Kong to plug loophole on edible oil that is potentially cancerous
City must define when old oil becomes too dangerous to reuse, lawmaker and nutritionist say
A food-safety loophole that exposes consumers to cancer risks should be plugged to prevent restaurants and other food sellers from repeatedly recycling cooking oil in their kitchens, a lawmaker says.
That calls for government controls that spell out limits for reusing oil.
Such a move would better protect public health, on top of measures proposed by the Food and Health Bureau on Tuesday to avoid Taiwan-style "gutter oil" tainting the local food chain, Helena Wong Pik-wan, of the Legislative Council's food safety panel, said yesterday.
Wong's call takes the bureau's proposal a step further, as there are no plans yet to specify when food retailers must discontinue use of second-hand oil and pass it on to recyclers and industrial users.
"It is a good thing that the government can trace and prevent waste cooking oil from re-entering the market as fresh oil," she said.
"But it is questionable as to how the government can ensure the cooking oil being used in restaurants does not end up exceeding safety standards after being used repeatedly."
The proposal, now under public consultation, suggests setting statutory requirements on harmful substances found in imported and locally produced edible fats and oils.