The Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) initiative by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is feeling the impact of the war in West Asia as the general rise in food prices has hit the aggregators of used oil significantly across Tamil Nadu.

RUCO diverts used cooking oil, bought for a nominal rate by FSSAI-licensed aggregators, away from the food chain and into the manufacture of biodiesel or other industrial products such as soap.

“There are four aggregators in Tiruchi, who collect around two to three tonnes of used oil per month at present. We have received complaints that some eateries are using their used cooking oil directly to light their firewood stoves, but we were unable to find sufficient proof of this. FSSAI is trying to ensure that the used cooking oil is not being sent back into the food chain, because it can be a health risk for consumers,” M. Jegadish Chandra Bose, Designated Food Safety Officer, Tiruchi district, told The Hindu.

A meeting will be held on Friday by the Food Safety Commissioner in Chennai to brief all the aggregators in the State regarding this, he added.

A representative from the Chennai-based company Uranus Oil, that conducts RUCO collection in Tiruchi, said that the West Asian conflict had hit business in a myriad ways. “Many eateries have stopped serving deep fried dishes, and several street stalls have downed shutters since the war broke out in March. Before the war, we used to collect six to seven tonnes of used oil from 200 clients a month in Tiruchi alone. Now it has halved, to around three tonnes per month.”

Sources said the tough market conditions had led to stiff competition among aggregator companies. “The cost of manufacturing biodiesel from used cooking oil is approximately ₹80 per litre. But some big companies are cutting out local traders by buying used oil at over ₹90 per litre. We normally pay ₹60 for a litre of used oil. The authorities should take care to see whether the collected oil is being genuinely re-processed,” said Kishore Kumar Baskaran,  founder of the Tiruvanaikovil-based kB Energy Corporation, a start-up that buys used oil from over 2,000 restaurants, catering units, sweet manufacturers, canteens in educational institutions and hospitals in the districts of Tiruchi, Madurai, Dindigul, and Pudukottai.