China's food safety watchdog has ordered inspections of cooking oil nationwide following reports that up to a tenth of Chinese supplies are illegally made and contained cancer-causing agents.
The State Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered stepped-up inspections of all food service providers and vowed to punish manufacturers producing "drainage oil" - cooking oil refined from discarded kitchen waste.
The China Daily newspaper said that as much as a tenth of cooking oil used in China could be made from recycled kitchen or restaurant waste oil, which contains a highly toxic, carcinogenic substance called "aflatoxin".
It is estimated that China annually consumes more than 20 million tonnes of cooking oil.
