Burnt cooking oil poses major threat to heart: BFSA chairman

Repeated use of burnt cooking oil poses a serious threat to heart health, Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) Chairman Md Shafiqul Islam has said, urging consumers and food businesses to stop using degraded cooking oil.

“Among the many enemies of the heart, burnt oil is one of the most dangerous. We must avoid it both at the individual and business levels,” he said.

He made the remarks at a seminar titled “Harmful Effects of Used Cooking Oil on Human Health and the Environment”, jointly organised by the BFSA and Biotech Energy Limited at the authority’s headquarters in Dhaka on Wednesday.

The BFSA chairman said food businesses could build consumer confidence by using fresh cooking oil, even if it meant charging slightly higher prices for food.

“If a business fries a singara in fresh oil instead of burnt oil and charges a little more, customers will still choose the one prepared with fresh oil. Businesses need to build that trust,” he said.