Oil reuse dips as more eateries plump for ‘RUCO’

Madurai: Before munching on that bajji at a roadside eatery or restaurant, do you still worry over the freshness of oil used to fry it? With more than six years having passed since the launch of RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil), you probably have less to be concerned about the quality of oil these days. Launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), RUCO has been gaining impressive response in Madurai with the quantity of reused oil collected increasing every year.According to the initiative launched in Madurai in 2019, used cooking oil is collected and converted into biodiesel, preventing its reuse by food business owners. It is collected by aggregators authorised by FSSAI. From 2019 till March 2022, Madurai district food safety department collected more than 75.8 kilolitres of oil. This further increased from 90.3 kilolitres in 2022-23 to 216.5 kilolitres in 2025.Prior to the launch, hotels and bakeries have been selling oil after one use to smaller food outlets. Reheated oil develops high levels of total polar compounds (TPC), which can cause oxidative stress and raise the risk of heart disease.Designated food safety officer Dr K Sivarama Pandian told TOI that owing to the growing number of food business operators (FBOs) enrolling in RUCO, two new aggregators will be added, raising their total to six. "Major star hotels and food chain restaurants in Madurai are already a part of this initiative. As many as 438 FBOs are currently enrolled in this initiative. Though we received good response from roadside eateries, it will be good if more of them become part of this initiative," he added.He said food safety officers continuously monitor who returns reused oil and who does not. On an average, Rs35 to Rs40 per litre is paid on the spot to FBOs for the reused oil. This goes up to Rs60 per litre if the collected quantity is high. Depending on the usage of oil in a particular FBO, oil cans ranging from 25 to 100 litres are provided to them, which are collected by the aggregators."This initiative spread its arms not only to FBOs but also to the canteens in hospitals and colleges. We are now concentrating on increasing awareness in areas of Teppakulam, where a greater number of street food shops operate," said the officer."Food should feel lighter, and customers who eat our food should not complain about gastritis. That is why we are part of this initiative," said K Subburaman, chairman for Hotel Temple City. "From our hotel, around 100 litres of used oil was collected by aggregators a day. Before this initiative came into force, we would use such oil to fuel wood stove and diesel-powered stove," he added.S Karthik, channel head for EnvoGreen Energy, one of the aggregators for RUCO, said that on an average nearly a tonne of oil was collected a day, amounting to nearly 22 tonnes a month. Of these, 90% of the oil was converted into biodiesel.