Objectives of the Study

The present study looks to fill the gaps in literature that explore the public health impacts of UCO consumption in India by examining the extent, trends and processes through which UCO is diverted into the commercial food stream. By examining the behavioural practices of food business operators (FBOs) across four Indian metros—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai—the study focuses on the following trends:

• Edible oil consumption by type and location of FBOs;
• UCO generation by type and location of FBOs;
• UCO consumption by type and location of FBOs;
• UCO disposal by type and location of FBOs; and
• Awareness of food safety laws and the RUCO initiative by type and location of the FBOs.

The study also looks into how changes in the prices of edible oils, awareness levels of FBOs, and development of waste collection infrastructure, affect compliance with food safety guidelines and regulations of the RUCO initiative.

Methodology

The study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining an extensive literature review, expert and stakeholder interviews, and statistical and econometric analysis of primary data to examine the landscape of commercial UCO generation, consumption, and diversion into the food stream. It surveys 507 (101 large and 406 small) FBOs across four metros in India—i.e., Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata.

Results

The study seeks to fill current knowledge gaps in identifying UCO consumers and producers among FBOs in India, estimating the volumes of UCO consumption among these businesses, pinpointing the drivers of UCO sale and consumption, and the impact of state regulation and enforcement on the ecosystem. The following are key findings of the survey:

• Smaller eateries buy cheaper cooking oils but spend more on oils as a percentage of their costs: In comparison to large restaurants, small eateries typically pay far less for their cooking oil purchases. Thus, small restaurants are more likely to buy cooking oils of poor quality or sold ‘loose’ (not packaged), which may be mixed with UCO. Smaller restaurants in cities spend, on average, 15 to 25 percent of their daily budget on cooking oils.
  
  
• Large eateries under-report volumes of UCO generation: Out of a total of 101 large restaurants surveyed, all but eight reported daily UCO generation below 10 litres. With 70 percent of the large eateries’ total daily consumption of cooking oil exceeding 50 litres, it is possible that some of them are grossly under-reporting their UCO generation. (The FSSAI guidelines are only applicable to FBOs consuming more than 50 litres of cooking oil per day.)
  
  
• Eateries continue to reuse UCO till the last drop: The majority of large eateries across the four cities self-reported that cooking oil for frying was changed daily. However, among small eateries, especially in Delhi and Kolkata, respondents claimed that they cooked with UCO till the last drop. Similarly, respondents in Mumbai and Chennai claimed low volumes of leftover UCO, indicating a high prevalence of UCO self-utilisation.
  
  
• UCO disposal is a challenge for large eateries: Among large eateries in Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, 53 percent claimed that they dispose of UCO in drains. This figure is significantly lower for Chennai where a larger proportion of eateries sell UCO to accredited collectors and aggregators. This claim of UCO being disposed of in drains has been challenged by experts and stakeholders who argue that it is a cover-up for continued UCO utilisation as well as resale to unauthorised traders, and the volume discarded in drains is minimal. Small eateries do not face any issues disposing of UCO since they acknowledge that they reuse their cooking oils till the last drop.
  
  
• Price incentives drive UCO sale: Eateries, especially in Chennai, reported that better prices were the key drivers for not reusing UCO and selling the waste oils to aggregators and collectors.
  
  
• Infrastructural support by local government bodies helps in UCO collection: Chennai’s local government bodies assist eateries in storage and disposal of UCO. There is no such support in the other three cities. This has led to more eateries in Chennai segregating and selling UCO to designated collectors and aggregators, helping ensure that UCO is removed from the food stream.
  
  
• Awareness of regulations drives better compliance: Awareness of the RUCO initiative is low, with the exception of respondents in Chennai. Chennai had a larger proportion of large and small eateries that do not reuse UCO and dispose of it through designated collectors and aggregators. Awareness of food safety rules is even lower across small eateries than large ones, especially in Delhi and Kolkata. Small eateries freely reutilise UCO in their cooking. The linear regression model devised for this study indicates that for both large and small eateries, higher levels of awareness will reduce the likelihood of them reusing cooking oil by as much as 98 percent.