National People's Congress Deputy and Chairman of Xiangjia Co., Ltd. Yu Ziwen: Implementing Whole-Chain Regulation and Further Improving Edible Oil Safety Standards

This year, at the National Two Sessions, Deputy to the National People’s Congress and Chairman of Xiangjia Co., Ltd., Yu Ziwen, called for further improvement of safety standards for edible vegetable oils to better protect the “safety on the tip of the tongue” of the people and the safety of the livestock, poultry, and aquatic farming industries.

Yu Ziwen believes that currently, there are still issues with outdated standards and missing indicators in China’s edible vegetable oil safety regulation. It is necessary to further improve the standards system and strengthen full-chain supervision. He suggests including plasticizers, sex hormones, illegal additives, and waste oil characteristic markers into mandatory testing items for edible vegetable oils, with clear limits and judgment rules. At the same time, oils used in feed, food processing, and catering should be subject to consistent standards and strict control to prevent gutter oil from flowing into the farming and food sectors.

The edible oil industry generally features production, sales, and usage across different regions. Cases related to substandard oils are often transferred across jurisdictions, leading to difficulties in criminal prosecution, administrative penalties, and civil compensation.

In response, Yu Ziwen recommends implementing a “one order, one code, one report” system for edible vegetable oils, where inspection reports are linked with traceability codes, enabling real-time verification by regulatory authorities and purchasing companies to prevent forged invoices and reports from the source. Additionally, the entire chain of production, processing, procurement, transportation, and use of edible oils should be integrated into the national food safety traceability platform to ensure source traceability, destination tracking, and accountability.

“For cases involving large amounts, widespread harm, and forged documents related to edible vegetable oils, it is recommended to establish cross-regional market supervision, public security, and agricultural joint investigation mechanisms, and to directly transfer cases to the police for prosecution under crimes such as manufacturing and selling counterfeit products or fraud,” Yu Ziwen stated.

Furthermore, considering the possibility of gutter oil and other substandard oils entering the food industry and agricultural production chains, Yu Ziwen suggests establishing a rapid identification indicator system for gutter oil at the standard-setting level, incorporating characteristic fatty acids, oxidation products, and pollutants into national standards to enable “one-test identification and one-vote veto,” providing testing and judgment basis for quality inspection departments and units. On the regulatory front, the national level can conduct routine risk monitoring, issue timely alerts, and revise standards as needed.

“Edible vegetable oil is a fundamental necessity in food production, livestock, poultry, and aquatic farming, as well as daily life for residents. Its quality and safety directly impact food safety, livestock and aquaculture safety, and public health,” Yu Ziwen emphasized. “We must resolutely prevent gutter oil and other substandard oils from entering the food industry and agricultural production chains, effectively safeguarding the ‘safety on the tip of the tongue’ of the people and the security of the livestock, poultry, and aquatic farming industries.”

(Reporter: Zhang Yifan, Securities Times)

(Edited by: Wen Jing)