Food Safety Problems in China: Based on the Illegally Waste Cooking Oil

Abstract

The illegal oil (coming from the waste cooking oil and animals’ fat, etc.) is being processed as daily edible oil by a series of processing programs in China. It contains enormous toxic carcinogenic substances such as aflatoxin, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), etc. In China, 22 million tons of cooking oil is approximately consumed each year, however, 2-3 million tons (account for 10%) of the illegal oil is circulated back to the daily market finally. This research aims to analyze four parts among the illegal oil. It combines the Chinese food safety legal loophole with the treatments of other developed countries to solve China’s illegal oil problem. What’s more, carrying out a field survey is conducted to understand the source of the illegal oil and have a clear understanding of consumers’ usage. Next, the main reason for the spread of the illegal oil which is from the street stalls and restaurants is revealed. The new technique is also used to transform the illegal oil into biodiesel fuel (BDF), however, the material (the illegal oil) cannot be easily obtained due to many barriers and challenges in China. Based on the field survey results, setting up a specific feedback mechanism for restaurants/hotels and the other policy implications are proposed to China’s governments for solving the illegal oil issue in China.