Street food vendors buy discarded cooking oil from fast food outlets

Some fast food outlets in the city have reportedly been engaged in direct or indirect selling of used cooking oil to some street food vendors, locally known as "pungko-pungko."

Councilor Edgardo Labella, in a proposed resolution, requested the Department of Health to verify these reports for the protection of the public that have been patronizing the "pungko-pungko" foods.

These vendors have reportedly been cooking the foods they sell from discarded cooking oil obtained from some fast food outlets, a matter that should be probed, he said.

"Consumers of pungko-pungko food products appear unaware about the real quality of the edible oil, among others, used in the preparation of the food they eat," said Labella.

Labella said the government should act to protect public health from unreasonable risks of food products that they are consuming, and that the country's Consumer Act mandates the DOH to undertake research for safe and quality preparations of products sold.

"Used or recycled cooking oil-which more often than not ends up being used in food preparation by pungko-pungko street food hawkers-as a commodity appears wanting in compliance with existing quality and safety standards for consumer products," Labella argued in his proposal.

The councilor acknowledged however that the "pungko-pungko" vendors abound in public places and have been the ready source of cheap foods for a lot of people but then the city government has the responsibility to regulate the preparation of these foods to protect public health. - Garry B. Lao/RAE