Worried about industrial cooking oil, many people use home-pressed peanut oil

*Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan's peanut oil pressing facility in Tran Nhan Tong ward is operating at full capacity.*

Demand increases

In recent days, many peanut oil pressing facilities in Tran Nhan Tong ward ( Hai Phong city) have been operating at full capacity to serve the people. As a locality with a traditional peanut growing area, people here have long had the habit of using peanut oil in daily cooking. However, recently, the demand for pressing oil at home or at rental pressing facilities has increased sharply. The reason is due to concerns about the situation of poor quality industrial cooking oil of unknown origin floating on the market.

*In addition to pressing for hire for people, Mr. Nguyen Van Thuan's peanut oil products are also widely consumed in many provinces and cities across the country.*

At Nguyen Van Thuan’s oil pressing facility, the amount of raw materials people bring to press has increased 2-3 times compared to before. “There are days when I have to work continuously from morning to night to deliver oil to customers. Before, each person only pressed a few liters, now there are people bringing dozens of kilograms of peanuts and sesame to press for later use,” Thuan shared.

In addition to the pressing service, his facility also produces bottled peanut oil with 3-star OCOP certification, and consumption has also increased significantly compared to before.

More than a year ago, Mr. Nguyen Trong Da in Vinh Lai commune also invested in a press machine worth nearly 30 million VND to make peanut oil. At first, it was only for his family's needs, then his family produced it for business. In addition to pressing peanut oil for sale, he also hires people to press peanut oil for those in need.

According to Mr. Da, after the information about many types of poor quality cooking oil was exposed, the number of customers of his family increased by 30-40% compared to before. Mr. Da sells peanut oil for 140,000-150,000 VND/liter. Although the price of manually pressed peanut oil is much higher than that of industrially produced vegetable oil sold on the market, the demand of people is still very high. On average, 2 kg of peanuts will be pressed to produce about 1 liter of oil. Although the price is high and it takes time to press, people still prioritize using it. Many people not only press it for use in their family but also make it in advance to send to their children living far away or give to relatives.

Safe use

*Despite the high price, many households are willing to buy hand-pressed oil for daily use.*

Ms. Nguyen Thi Chin in Le Dai Hanh ward shared: “This area has a large peanut growing area, so I and many households here often use hand-pressed peanut oil. Before, I only pressed a few liters for later use, now I have to press dozens of liters each month for three generations in the family. Self-pressed peanut oil is delicious, rich in flavor and can be stored for a long time without worrying about chemicals or preservatives."

According to Ms. Chin, the situation of industrial cooking oil being adulterated and using additives of unknown origin has made her and many others lose faith in bottled products. Instead, choosing peanuts yourself, taking them to be pressed or pressing them at home with a family machine brings safety to health.

Ms. Vu Thi Ben in Bac An Phu ward (Hai Phong city) said: “In the past, my family often bought bottled cooking oil. But recently, there has been a lot of information about fake oil of unknown origin, so I feel uneasy. I started to switch to using hand-pressed peanut oil. This type of oil has a light yellow color with a characteristic natural aroma, and when I cook, I feel more delicious. Although pressing peanut oil is more labor-intensive and expensive than using industrial cooking oil, using peanut oil makes my family feel more secure, not worrying about buying fake or dirty cooking oil.”

According to local calculations, on average 10 kg of peanuts produce about 4-5 liters of oil, the residue can be used as animal feed or compost. With the selling price of peanut oil ranging from 120,000 - 130,000 VND/liter, oil pressing not only serves family needs but also opens up small business opportunities for many households.

Faced with a food market that is fraught with potential food safety risks, people returning to traditional methods of self-sufficiency is seen as a sustainable and safe solution. Proactively controlling raw materials and production processes not only helps protect health but also contributes to local economic development.

Trang Hien

Source: https://baohaiphongplus.vn/lo-ngai-dau-an-cong-nghiep-nhieu-nguoi-dung-dau-lac-tu-ep-416734.html