Bengaluru: Karnataka is exploring a tie-up with biodiesel companies to collect used cooking oil from hotels and other food establishments and use it as a raw material for biodiesel, Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader said on Wednesday, The New Indian Express reported.
The proposal is part of a wider food-safety initiative aimed at preventing the repeated reuse of cooking oil and improving safe food practices among street-food vendors and other food businesses.
Speaking at an interactive session on food safety organised by the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) in Bengaluru, Khader said the government was examining mechanisms through which used cooking oil could be collected and diverted for biodiesel production. Such a system would provide food establishments with an alternative way to dispose of used oil while discouraging its unsafe reuse.
Karnataka will also launch a food-safety awareness and training programme for street-food vendors, with more than 1,000 vendors expected to receive training. The programme will cover hygiene during food preparation and serving, cleanliness, safe handling of ingredients and the proper use of cooking oil.
Khader said food safety would require more than inspections and enforcement, and stressed the need to educate food businesses, vendors, food handlers and consumers.
The Minister also announced that Karnataka plans to host a national-level Food Safety Officers and Commissioners Conclave in October. Officials from different States are expected to discuss food-safety practices, gaps in existing systems and areas where regulations need to be strengthened.
Recommendations from the conclave could be taken up with the Centre for necessary amendments to food-safety rules, he said.
BCIC president K Ravi said greater cooperation between the government and industry was essential to strengthen food-safety standards and build consumer confidence. BCIC also expressed its willingness to participate in awareness programmes and other initiatives with the State government.
Dr V Pashupathy, National Advisor to the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Association of India (FHRAI) and a National Award recipient for Food Safety, said food safety should be treated as a management responsibility rather than being confined to kitchen operations.
He said 11,216 food-safety raids had been conducted across the country in the previous 90 days, resulting in 172 suspension notices, 519 criminal cases and 926 improvement notices with fines. He added that raw-material management was linked to 46% of the recent suspension notices.
