Thailand's Food And Drug Administration Imposes Penalties On Repeated Use Of Cooking Oil

[ShawnStorm]

Deep frying as a cooking method is unhealthy to begin with. The extreme heat creates a volatile situation which can chemically alter the oil and food components resulting in various compounds that are considered toxic by some. However, the resulting food is darn tasty and I myself still eat the stuff on a regular basis, especially when in Thailand.

......I find that many Thai people want to do the right thing (or healthy thing in this case), and will change their habits once they are educated.

DDDDDUUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Well you have just proved yourself wrong.

Ok, I guess I deserved both of those comments because I didn't review my post and notice my mistake in wording. Leave it to ThaiVisa members to catch it and jump all over me.

I realize I said, "I myself eat the stuff on a regular basis, especially when in Thailand", however that isn't quite correct. What I MEANT to say was "When I am in Thailand I find myself eating deep fried food on a regular basis."

I don't live in Thailand, so 98% of my life is spent elsewhere (mostly in the States). When I am home, almost all the food I eat is cooked by myself (I rarely eat out). I do not deep fry anything and never have. I use quality oils and tend to use low to medium heat.

HOWEVER, when I am traveling through Thailand every meal is in a restaurant, market, or food stall. It is part of traveling. Because I am on "holiday", my quality standards drop considerably since many cities don't have organic high quality vegetarian food available (and if they do, there is often a large price tag attached). So I let go of my normal health conscious habits and try to enjoy my trip, as many travelers do. There are so many tasty deep fried vegetarian treats in Thailand (tempura veggies, spring rolls, banana fritters, french fries, those little desert balls, etc, etc) that it is hard to avoid them.

Yes, I understand that the deep fried stuff isn't very healthy. Yes, I could avoid it if I really wanted to. However, I enjoy the deep fried items and figure I will be ok if I splurge a bit while on "holiday".

With that said, it would still be great if the deep fried items I was purchasing were cooked with quality oils that haven't been used numerous times. The food still wouldn't be "healthy", but at least it would be a little less toxic.

Hope that clarifies things... although given the venue, I am sure someone will have an issue or find a flaw with this response.

-shawn

[kbvicar]

Maybe you are but I've had a good one (so far, anyway)...

[WhizBang]

Note to self: No more deep fried street food.

[fakename]

The vendors will use the cheapest oil they can get, since, especially in Pattaya, the customers are not Repeat customers, just one time. In the villages, no one knows about healthy or not healthy, so will eat what is cheap. Yes, the black oil is everywhere, and they use it until they dump it down the nearest storm drain. Thais do not care about health, thats why 7/11 makes such good business, just full of candy, cakes, soft drinks, and other Snacks.

Yes, if your on a holiday, then you can eat just about anything, but for the people that live here, food is a dangerous situation. Unfortunately, this crackdown will last about a week, then on to something else.

[glegolo]

This is priceless! Kids, you can't make this kind of shlt up. What "related agencies" will be tasked with enforcing this ridiculous regulation? If the police get involved they'll be thanking the FDA for another source of unaccountable bribes income to further add to their retirement fund...

"Hi Dad, how was your day? Well, Son...I busted six old ladies for cooking their noodles in used oil. Made 1500 baht and I plan on doing the same tomorrow unless my captain wants more $$$ for his cut."

what type of ****head are you making fun of Thailand

You should be barred or never allow in Thailand I think I shall report you if this post take down

I do not like this guy. People that threatens others are NOT allowed into my life... What a joker really. The police all over Thailand is on the take and Mr "closed my eyes" react and defend them..... So the bad guys are the ones that point it out......

Get out of your home and open up your eyes..... and see what is going on... It is really not that hard...

glegolo

[Thai at Heart]

By the time they start on a road they won't get 50m into the vendors before everyone runs to new. It will takes 1 year just to check the first 10 soi of Sukhumvit

[dazk]

i read somewhere last week that a big chain restaurant either mc donalds or kfc was being prosecuted for using old cooking oil.

how do they expect vendors to know what the levels are in there oil

how often should the oil be changed how many times can you heat the oil before it gets to dangerous ( like fatty food is not bad enough any way)

we change our oil; when it starts to get dark but is this soon enough to not get fined

i have had customers comment have you changed your oil, the fries dont taste as good

hopefully they will educate before running round fining people

i think in pattaya where we are the health department at the city hall will be policing this as we have had 2 visits from them to inspect our kitchen one when we opened and another 6 months later the lady made a point of looking at the oil

[kbvicar]

If you're using a synthetic oil (like Mobil 1 or Shell Helix) then change it every 30,000 klicks or 3 months--which ever comes first...

I'm sorry...this thread has become so absurd I can't resist -- so just shoot me

[Thai at Heart]

So I guess the drains will all block as the oil gets thrown away.

[kbvicar]

No way, dude. The Thais would never pollute the environment like that. If a young visionary/entrepreneur--let's call him Somchai Gates for now--could find some suckers investors he could collect all the filthy cooking oil, convert it into fuel and Thailand's looming energy crises will be easily avoided.

Screw all the pie-in-the-sky scams schemes like like bio-diesel from sugarcane and cassava (how's that working out for you Brazil?). Pi Lek's old cooking oil is the answer. Damn, this is such an awesome concept I'm surprised nobody has thought of it before

[lemonjelly]

Ban aluminium woks...... aluminium dissolves in hot oil..... gives you Alzheimer's .

[gk10002000]

Unfortunately, frying is convenient and is usually very common in hot places. Look at the American Southern states. They have some of the worst obesity in the USA. Stove top fried pork chops or fried chicken. Of course what you fry up is important too. A classic chinese wok stir fry with lots of vegetables is a lot different than deep fried KFC which unfortunately is becoming too common in Thailand.

[Woodsie888]

So I guess the drains will all block as the oil gets thrown away.

They are partially blocked with this type of waste already and the BMA wonders why Sukhumvit floods so easily during the rainy season.

[rametindallas]

what is a Polar Compound? "POLAR compounds of over 25%,..." Presumably particles from a food source other than that being cooked, or does it also include particles from the food currently being cooked, in other words, non-oil particles? Hell, the oil used is bad enough without adding to it!

Polar Compounds are a known carcinogen and raise blood pressure. Google is a great resource for many questions.

edit for typo

Edited March 20, 2013 by rametindallas

[rametindallas]

As a previous poster said this is unenforcable especially outside BKK. Kinda like the restriction on the sale of beer between certain hours. Any mom and pop shop will sell beer at any time. There are tens of thousands of if not more street vendors in this country and they will laugh at this edict.

They would have to hear about it to laugh at it. Most business don't even know AEC is coming.

[Scully]

These poor police men have to stay up late on some market nights, why not give them the benefit of a free piece of fried chicken followed by a Banana fritter?.

[newermonkey]

There is a fabulous restaurant here in the US that has the same oil since the early 1900's. It is one of the reasons the food is so fantastic.

I cook in a similar way and my Thai wife goes crazy over it. But my customers say it's the best. Not sure what the problem is in Thailand. Maybe there is something about it and the oil used.

BS The restaurant cannot be cooking with the same oil for 20 years, This can only happen if the oil is reconditioned (filtered under pressure) but I doubt the oil even then could be used for TWENTY years.

AND you are saying you cook in a similar way? wow your "Blackened frenchfries" must be amazing- no need for ketchup or even the fish, all the flovours of the last TWENTY years.

Anyway I dont beleive a word you are saying and I guess you know nothing about cooking. in short BULLSHIT

[cloghead]

I agree, Skully. But now the FDA reckons they might get food poisoning from all the bad oil. Not to mention they'd be flaunting the new second-hand-oil prohibition. They could get on their scooters and find a late-night KFC and shake down buy some non-contaminated, approved products...

[Thai at Heart]

So I guess the drains will all block as the oil gets thrown away.

They are partially blocked with this type of waste already and the BMA wonders why Sukhumvit floods so easily during the rainy season.

Well, if they all have to use newer oil, where do you think it is going to end up?

[cloghead]

In Malaysia--Here: http://usedcookinoil.com/

Problem solved

{They have an ad on TV so they must be legit}

Edited March 21, 2013 by cloghead

[Card]

what is a Polar Compound? "POLAR compounds of over 25%,..." Presumably particles from a food source other than that being cooked, or does it also include particles from the food currently being cooked, in other words, non-oil particles? Hell, the oil used is bad enough without adding to it!

Polar Compounds are a known carcinogen and raise blood pressure. Google is a great resource for many questions.

edit for typo

Polar compounds in this case are the breakdown products of fats caused by high temp. Fats are made up of 3 fatty acids joined together to form triglycerides and are non-polar - hence do not mix with water. When the 3 joined fatty acids are heated to a high temp often enough, they break apart into double and single fatty acids which are polar and can mix with water. It's the fatty acids and hydroxydiglycerides which are relatively poisonous.

[arthurwait]

Oil wars. Is there anything Thailand doesn't copy ?

[h90]

What a great revenue stream for the inspector. The oil that I see being used is so dark and filled with old food particles that it would almost give you a heart attack without consuming any!

I don't eat anything fried outside anymore because of the taste of old or at least cheap oil......

[BrooklynNY]

I have a Thai friend who was a co owner of a Thai restaurant in NYC. The restaurant was recently sold to a new owner. I visited the restaurant sometimes and I knew BOH operation of that restaurant that they used cooking oil for one week to deep fried fish, spring rolls, tofu and so on. By the end of the week the oil was blackened, I told my friend that it is not healthy to reuse oil but she replied that was Okay and any restaurants do the same thing. I too had to eat fried food from old cooking oil when I visited the restaurant because it happened to be the last day before they replaced with new oil the next day. It is a thing in the past now that the restaurant has been sold.

If I want to eat street fried food in BKK, I would look for vendors who have lite amber color or almost clear cooking oil. I was looking forward to eating street food before I went to Thailand, but after having seen street vendors in BKK hog sidewalks that is worse than 15-20 years ago. They do not have food handling license like in USA that is a law for food vendors must obtain a food handling license.

Thais and immigrants (Myanmars, Laotians, Cambodians and Indians) who sell street food are ignorant and do not want to obtain a food handling license. They simply set up makeshift carts or stands and buy cheap quality food ingredients. Besides they do not pay taxes on their income. It is a very lucrative business.

From what I read on Thai web boards about health that average Thais have health problems (Cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, hypertension and stroke) in relation to a poor diet and they are only in age of 40's and early 50's. Many Thais depend solely on street food because it is convenient and inexpensive.

Edited March 21, 2013 by BrooklynNY

[XINLOI]

There is a fabulous restaurant here in the US that has the same oil since the early 1900's. It is one of the reasons the food is so fantastic.

I cook in a similar way and my Thai wife goes crazy over it. But my customers say it's the best. Not sure what the problem is in Thailand. Maybe there is something about it and the oil used.

The oil probably has too much trans fat in it to begin with and the repeated heating and cooling, adds even more. The addition of heat to the oil is what caused the problem in the first place. IE... triglicerides in the bloodstream......

Edited March 21, 2013 by XINLOI