Sinograin assures edible oil safety

Following reports that edible oil and dangerous chemicals are getting mixed during transportation in China, a slew of operators, including Sinograin, have issued assurances that efforts will be stepped up to ensure food safety.

In recent weeks, reports emerged that coal-to-liquids, a chemical liquid produced during coal processing whose long-term consumption may lead to poisoning, was getting mixed with soybean oil during transportation as many tanker trucks were used to move both liquids. After transporting the chemical, tankers were not cleaning their internal surfaces thoroughly before loading edible oil.

Some edible oil makers did not strictly check the tankers either as per regulations. These lapses led to contamination of the edible oil by residual chemical liquids, causing outrage among consumers and necessitating action by major edible oil producers, media reports said.

China Grain Reserves Group Ltd Co or Sinograin, the country's largest grain storage and transportation company, said in a statement that it attaches great importance to the issue and takes it as a warning. A large-scale investigation was carried out throughout the entire system since July 5, it said.

Sinograin said it insists on a comprehensive and strict inspection of vehicles used in the transportation of edible oils. It also pays attention to whether or not the transport operations are standardized. The company will actively report major issues discovered to regulatory authorities concerned, it said.

If any transportation carriers are found to have violated regulations during inspection, Sinograin would immediately terminate their services in accordance with the law and include them on a "blacklist" of the group's service procurement, Sinograin said.

Meanwhile, Yihai Kerry Arawana Holdings Co Ltd, a major agricultural and food products processor in China that produces packed edible oil, said it has strict supervision procedures in place for the transportation of edible oil.

"We have implemented relevant laws and regulations on the transportation of edible oil, and formulated a management system. All the factories under our umbrella strictly implement the regulations," the company said in a written reply to China Daily.

The transportation of edible oil must comply with relative requirements to ensure product quality and safety. Food safety is a major concern for people's livelihoods, and Yihai Kerry has always prioritized product quality and safety to safeguard consumers, it said.

Yu Jianlong, vice-chairman of the Beijing-headquartered China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, said Chinese enterprises should accelerate the development of food safety concerns, and the key to promoting agricultural modernization is to advance agricultural technologies.