Food Safety Focus (193rd Issue, August 2022) – Article 4

Contaminants in Cooking Oil – How to Interpret?

A local organisation reported the detection of some contaminants in cooking oils, which are previously found in overseas studies.

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) conducted risk assessments of these contaminants and concluded that normal consumption of these cooking oils will not affect health. The risk assessments are based on the Health-based Guidance Values (HBGVs), an estimate of is the amount of a contaminant ingested daily over a lifetime without appreciable health risk. In general, dietary exposure to a contaminant below its HBGV will not be a health concern.

For the olive oil sample with the highest level of phthalates reported, a person would need to consume 3.5 bottles of the sample (about 870 millilitres) daily, which is 87 times the amount consumed by an average adult, to exceed the HBGV. For 3-MCPD, it is necessary to consume roughly one-third of a bottle of the relevant coconut and avocado cooking oil blend (about 130 millilitres) daily, which is 13 times the amount consumed by an average adult, to exceed the HBGV.