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Thursday | November 12, 2026 | Dhaka

BFSA warns against repeated use of cooking oil

 Staff Reporter
 Published: 12:05 AM, 12 November 2026

The Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) has warned consumers and food businesses against repeatedly using cooking oil, citing serious risks to heart health and other health problems.

“Of all the enemies of the heart, burnt cooking oil is among the most dangerous. We must avoid it both at the individual and business levels,” BFSA Chairman Md Shafiqul Islam said on Wednesday.

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 Ltd at the authority’s headquarters in Dhaka.

The BFSA chairman urged food businesses to use fresh cooking oil to protect consumers and build public confidence, even if doing so required slightly higher prices.

“If a businessman fries a singara in fresh oil instead of burnt oil and charges a little more, people will still choose the one made with fresh oil. Businesses need to create that trust,” he said.

On the disposal of used cooking oil, Islam suggested handing it over to specialised companies such as Biotech Energy as a way to reduce environmental harm while creating benefits for businesses.
He assured that the BFSA would continue to support such initiatives.

BFSA member Dr Mohammad Shoaib presented the keynote paper at the seminar, which was chaired by another member, Md Anwarul Islam Sarker. Shoaib discussed how used cooking oil is generated, its effects on human health and the environment, the importance of safe edible oil, the risks associated with trans-fatty acids and measures to control trans-fat.

He said repeatedly using edible oil increased the risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks, fat accumulation in blood vessels, liver damage and cancer.

BFSA members A N M Nazim Uddin and Dr Mohammad Mostafa attended as special guests. They stressed the need to convert used cooking oil into biodiesel instead of disposing of it in ways that could harm people and the environment.

Biotech Energy Managing Director Abdullah Al Hamid said the company collected more than 100 tonnes of used cooking oil every month from at least 3,000 food establishments across the country.

“We hope to increase the collection to 1,000 tonnes a month by 2030,” he said, adding that the company produced biodiesel from the collected oil at its plant in Savar.

He also said one litre of used cooking oil could contaminate nearly one million litres of water.

BFSA officials, Biotech Energy representatives, businesspeople, media personnel and other stakeholders attended the seminar.