Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) is a project launched by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Government of India.
RUCO aims at monitoring the quality of vegetable oils during frying. Frying induces several changes in properties of oil, 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. In order to safeguard consumer health, the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has fixed a limit for Total Polar Compounds at 25 percent beyond which the vegetable oil shall not be used.
From July 1st 2018 onwards, all Food Business Operators (FBOs) are required to monitor the quality of oil during frying by complying with the said regulations. FSSAI is implementing an EEE Strategy of education, enforcement and ecosystem to divert Used Cooking Oil from the food value chain and curb current illegal practices. The EEE Strategy approach ensures good health and welfare for all 140-crore Indian citizens, aiding energy security, climate change mitigation, and leading to environmentally sustainable development.
To achieve the objectives, FSSAI has been registering biodiesel manufacturers and cooking oil aggregators across the country. Aggregators will be responsible for collecting used cooking oil from different FBOs like dhabas, cafes, restaurants, caterers etc. and share it with registered biodiesel manufacturers. This will ensure scientific disposal of the used cooking oil, limiting the harmful impact on the environment and helping India move closer towards its objective of clean and green energy.
SDC Foundation has been registered as an official RUCO aggregator for Uttarakhand and will partner with the Dehradun based Council of Scientific & Industrial Research - Indian Institute of Petroleum, (CSIR-IIP) Government of India, for its production into biodiesel. SDC will also undertake extensive awareness and education campaigns for FBOs in order to sensitise them and make them adopt healthy and ethical business practices.
