Workers process edible oil at a factory in Boxing County, east China’s Shandong Province, Jan. 8, 2024. As the Spring Festival holiday, which starts on Feb. 10, approaches, demand for edible oil is surging and manufacturers are increasing production to meet the peak market demand. Photo: cnsphoto
Several Chinese edible oil companies issued statements Tuesday reassuring consumers that their transport vehicles are only used to deliver edible oil, amid growing public concerns that national oil companies are using tanker trucks to transport both food and chemical liquids.
Shandong Luhua Group, a leading domestic edible oil manufacturer, said the company implements strict food hazard prevention and control throughout the entire chain, including transportation, and uses its own special tanker trucks to transport edible oil.
Luhua Group pointed out that the inner and outer walls of the dedicated tanker trucks are thoroughly cleaned and dried before loading the products, and the tanker trucks are then inspected and sealed one by one. The oil products will be sampled and tested, and those that are not qualified will be rejected upon delivery.
Another cooking oil giant, Yihai Kerry Arawana, said the company’s edible oil is transported after being drummed at its own factory. The company has implemented strict supervision over the transportation of edible oil and does not use other companies’ tankers, while transport vehicles must comply with corresponding requirements to ensure product safety, Beijing Business Today reported Tuesday.
Shanxi Xiwang Food said the company mainly sells packaged corn germ oil, with the packaged products being transported by vans instead of tankers, adding that bulk oil only accounts for a small proportion of the company’s business, and related products are transported via special tankers.
Sinograin’s edible oil products were removed from Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao as of press time Tuesday morning, after the food company was implicated in the food safety scandal.
Several other Chinese oil companies have previously denied using tankers to transport food and liquid chemicals.
The Beijing News revealed in a recent report that the transportation of mixed and uncleaned liquid food and chemical products is an “open secret” in the tanker transportation industry. To reduce costs, many operators do not clean the tanks and edible oil producers do not control them according to regulations, resulting in chemical residues and contamination of the edible oil.
The Global Times
