SDC participated in a day-long capacity building workshop on Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) and Plastic Waste Management for Food Business Operators (FBOs) based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Several FBOs like bakers, hoteliers, cafe owners etc. posed their queries to the experts and agreed to have plastic-free operations in their outlets.
The FBOs were sensitised on food wastage and disposal of used cooking oil, which is extremely harmful for both, health and environment. During frying, several properties of oil are altered, causing Total Polar Compounds (TPC) to form, especially when repeatedly frying with the same oil. The toxicity of these compounds is associated with several diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, liver diseases. Therefore, it is essential to monitor the quality of vegetable oils during frying.
The workshop was organised by the FBO community with support from the Food & Drug Administration, Government of Uttarakhand. SDC is regularly participating in such workshops to spread awareness on the need to minimise the rampant use of single use plastic by greater adoption of alternatives. The efforts came as a success as the iconic Ellora's bakery of Dehradun decided to stop using plastic straws and plastic spoons completely after the completion of the sensitization session.
