NewFood safety scares prompt Chinese to press their own cooking oil
Scandals over recycled cooking oil have motivated some in the mainland to manufacture their own supplies at home
Worries about food safety have led some consumers on the mainland to turn to imported goods or to plant vegetables on the balconies of their flats to ensure the quality of their diet. Now some are even going as far as making their own cooking oil.
Three years ago after a series of scandals revealed that millions of tonnes of cooking oil was being recycled and sold back to consumers, Cui Ronghua, a peanut exporter from the eastern port of Qingdao, decided to do something about it. His children were already drinking baby formula bought from overseas and the family cooked with imported olive oil.
“I know all about peanuts and sell some of the best to Japan and Europe. I thought, ‘why can’t I make the best oil for the kindergarten of my children,’” he said.
Cui spent 1.2 million yuan (HK$1.5 million) on an oil press, opened a workshop, hired an elderly oil-grinding expert and visited about 30 similar manufacturers to learn about the process.
His first batch of oil was finally produced in December last year.
Cui publishes full details of the production process online so customers know the quality of his product is assured. He also has the oil tested by quality controllers to safeguard standards. Some bottles of his oil, branded under the name Virtue Happiness, fetch as much as 75 yuan online.