KMC takes action against four cooking oil brands for selling contaminated products – myRepublica

KATHMANDU, July 6: The Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has fined four companies Rs 200,000 each for selling cooking oil contaminated with harmful ingredients.

According to the KMC, four out of 13 edible oils tested were found to be defective. The products were contaminated with inedible substances such as peroxide and acid, which exceeded the prescribed limits and can pose a serious threat to human health.

Pakwan brand kitchen product manufactured by Shree Ram Refined Oil Product, Morang was found to have excessive levels of peroxide and acid. According to KMC, batch/lot No. S-2 of the product was found defective.

Similarly, refined soyabean oil of batch/lot No.11 of Amrit brand and batch/lot No.08 of Kwality brand were found not to be in compliance with the standard set by the Government. They are the products of Annapurna Vegetable Product Pvt Ltd at Birgunj, Parsa and Kwality Oil Refinery Pvt Ltd at Biratnagar, Morang respectively.

Similarly, excessive peroxide level was found in batch/lot no. 10 of family brand mustard oil. The product belongs to Shiv Shakti Ghee Udhyog of Jitpur, Bara.

Nur Nidhi Neupane, head of the KMC’s agriculture and animal husbandry department, said they had got samples of these brands tested at the National Reference Laboratory for Food and Feed under the Food Technology and Quality Control Department. He said the harmful effects of the cooking oil, whose peroxide and acidity levels exceed the limit of 10 mg, would increase even more if the products were heated.

According to Neupane, consuming cooking oil containing these contaminants could have negative effects on respiratory and cardiac function, leading to severe fluctuations in blood pressure and even a risk of cancer.

The KMC also asked the affected companies to withdraw their defective products from the market within three days.