Cooking oil for livestock "transformed" into human food: How dangerous is it?

(Dan Tri) - Cooking oil for livestock is being "transformed" into human food, sneaking into collective kitchens and restaurants. The incident is causing concern because this type of oil is difficult to distinguish and can have long-term effects on health.

The incident of some establishments being discovered using imported cooking oil intended for animal feed to produce and process into cooking oil for human food was recently reported by Vietnam Television, shocking public opinion.

Cooking oil for livestock "magically" transformed into food for human consumption (Photo: VTV).

The main places of consumption targeted by these subjects are collective kitchens, restaurants, eateries, and even craft villages that process confectionery and snacks for children...

Hard to identify

According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, former lecturer at the Institute of Biotechnology and Food, Hanoi University of Science and Technology, cooking oil used in animal feed when processed for human consumption often does not leave obvious signs.

“Humans cannot detect by smell, taste or color when eating animal feed oil. Unlike spoiled food that can be detected by the senses, animal feed oil when used in food processing often does not leave clear signs.

If used for a long time, this type of oil can be harmful to health without the user knowing it," Associate Professor Thinh shared.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, former lecturer at the Institute of Biotechnology and Food, Hanoi University of Science and Technology (Photo: Provided by the character).

Associate Professor Thinh added that, just like pig feed is different from rice, cooking oil for animal feed and oil for human use are two completely different types.

Edible oil for animal feed is mainly used to supplement fat, usually crude oil, unrefined, so it still contains many impurities. These impurities can be digested by animals, but can be harmful to human health.

Therefore, cooking oil for animal feed should only be used in animal husbandry, absolutely not used to process food for humans.

Potential health hazard

Although edible oil for humans and oil used in animal feed are both pressed from plant materials such as peanuts, soybeans, corn, etc., the processing is completely different.

According to Associate Professor Thinh, human oil needs to be thoroughly refined to remove impurities and toxins, ensuring purity and safety for health. Meanwhile, cooking oil for animal feed is only filtered or refined at a basic level, mainly to preserve and supplement fat for animals such as fish, chicken, pigs, buffalo, cows, etc.

In fact, animals do not necessarily need to supplement oil, because they can digest roughage such as bran, corn, rice... and excrete the excess themselves.

On the contrary, people need clean and carefully processed food. Using animal oil to prepare food for humans is not only harmful to health but also a violation of the law," Associate Professor Thinh analyzed.

Associate Professor Thinh added that if humans eat cooking oil for animal feed, it can be harmful to health because it contains many impurities. This is like eating rice mixed with grain, which can easily affect digestion.

There are currently not many in-depth studies on the specific harmful effects of humans mistakenly eating oil intended for livestock.

However, according to experts, this type of oil is difficult for the human body to digest and can even cause metabolic disorders or lead to certain diseases if used for a long time.

According to the Department of Food Safety ( Ministry of Health ), the use of cooking oil to make food for people seriously violates food safety regulations, potentially affecting public health.

In response to the information that some establishments were discovered using imported cooking oil intended for animal feed to produce and process into cooking oil for human food, the Food Safety Department recommends that food production and trading establishments, especially collective kitchens and ready-to-eat meal suppliers, should request suppliers to clarify the product's declaration and raw material records, not just rely on packaging and labels.

Along with that, do not use ingredients that are not for the declared purpose in food processing, even when there are sufficient invoices and documents.

At the same time, the Food Safety Department emphasized that any intentional use of ingredients not for the registered purpose for food processing, especially in cases where the ingredients are not safe for consumers, will be considered and strictly handled by the authorities according to the provisions of law.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/dau-an-chan-nuoi-ho-bien-thanh-cho-nguoi-nguy-hiem-the-nao-20250625104839529.htm