The action and its aims
RUCO was introduced with the aim to ensure food safety and improved health for consumers in the City of Indore. Used cooking oil is collected by authorised agencies and changed into biodiesel. In return restaurants are paid 30 IndiaRs per litre of oil.
When it was introduced
RUCO was introduced in 2022 by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and adopted by the City of Indore.
Why it was needed
From 1990 to 2016, India experienced a substantial rise in deaths attributed to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), rising from 37.9% to 61.8%. An unhealthy diet is one of the four primary risk factors. In India, 60% of used cooking oil (UCO) makes its way back into the food chain. The City of Indore has shown that reused cooking oil becomes unfit for people to consume and it increases the risk of diseases, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, liver diseases. To ensure food safety, authorised agencies collect the used cooking oil, which is then turned into biodiesel.
Who initiated it, who is involved
RUCO was launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and adopted by the City of Indore.
Impacts to date
The project is ongoing. RUCO has been taken up by more cities around India. For instance in Ernakulam, in 10 months approximately 60.000 litres of used cooking oil has been gathered from hotels and food outlets.
