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Dr. Sherif Farouk, Egypt's Minister of Supply and Internal Trade, has unveiled a set of new regulations governing the collection and handling of used cooking oil (UCO). The Minister confirmed that the Ministry has recently detected unauthorized entities collecting large quantities of used oil across several governorates. This clarification, shared by journalist Osama Kamal on the 'Masaa DMC' program, aims to address public concerns regarding the potential reintegration of these oils into the human food chain.
The Ministry emphasized that the approved industrial recycling of UCO is strictly limited to the production of biofuels, soap, and other non-food industrial applications, in accordance with Ministry of Environment standards. The official response noted that no instances of recycled oil being sold for human consumption have been detected thus far. It further highlighted that refining used oil to a food-grade standard is a highly complex and costly process, often equaling the production cost of fresh oils, which diminishes the economic incentive for such illegal activity.
To strengthen oversight, the Ministry reaffirmed its commitment to ongoing inspections to monitor any suspicious UCO movements by unlicensed parties. All documented violations are being referred to the Public Prosecution for legal action. Additionally, the Ministry of Environment has provided supply directorates with a list of licensed collection companies. Work is currently underway to issue official identification cards for the vehicles operated by these authorized firms to ensure operational transparency.
The Ministry of Supply is coordinating with the Consumer Protection Agency, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Environment to establish a comprehensive database to track the UCO supply chain from source to processing plant. Journalist Osama Kamal underscored the importance of requiring workers to carry official identification and marking collection vehicles clearly. This would allow citizens to verify the legality of collectors, ensuring that waste oils are diverted exclusively to industrial sectors to safeguard public health.
Source: Sada El Balad