Karnataka plans an app to track used cooking oil and prevent it from re-entering the food chain

The Karnataka Health Department is developing a mobile app to track the collection, sale and reuse of used cooking oil to prevent it from re-entering the food chain, Health Minister UT Khader said on Thursday (Nov 12).

The app, which is expected to be developed within three months, will create a digital trail from the time edible oil is purchased by hotels and other food business operators to its eventual disposal or handing over to authorized agencies for industrial use, Mr. Khader said.

The initiative is aimed at tackling the illegal misuse of used cooking oil, which is sometimes collected for industrial purposes such as making soap and biodiesel, but reportedly finds its way back to small hotels and restaurants to be reused in cooking.

Addressing the press in Bengaluru, Mr. Khader said the application would be handled by the Food and Drug Safety Department. All producers and food business operators would have to register on the platform. The department would initially conduct a trial run in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru and Hubballi.

Proposed mechanism

Explaining the proposed mechanism, he said hotels and other establishments will have to enter details of the amount of fresh cooking oil purchased, its source and the amount of used oil produced. They would have to record the identity of the person or agency to whom the used oil was handed over.

Collectors would in turn have to upload details of who they sold the oil to, the amount transferred and the amount paid.

“If a hotel consumes 500 liters of oil per month, it must account for 50 to 75 liters of used oil produced, assuming a 10 to 15% recovery. It must submit details of who it has given the used oil to. Whoever collects it must record who they sold it to. The entire chain must be followed,” he said.

No reliable data

The minister stated that the system is necessary because the department currently lacks reliable data on the movement of used cooking oil and its eventual destination.

Under the proposed arrangement, used oil collected from food facilities would have to be diverted to permitted industrial uses rather than being sold back to food businesses.

Illegal diversion

Mr. Khader said some agencies authorized to collect used cooking oil for industrial purposes were diverting some of it to small hotels.

Explaining the economics behind the diversion, he said collectors can get around ₹80 per liter of used oil meant for industrial purposes, while small hotels are willing to pay ₹120-125 per litre.

“Why would anyone sell it for ₹80 when they can get ₹120 by supplying it to a small hotel?”

All producers and food business operators would have to register on the platform. | Photo credit: File photo

He pointed out that used cooking oil has several legitimate industrial applications, including making soap, biodiesel and jet fuel. However, the absence of an effective tracking mechanism has made it difficult to ensure that oil collected for these purposes does not return to the food market.

The minister said the Karnataka government would write to the Center for more flexibility in regulations governing reuse and export of used cooking oil, especially in view of the demand for it in the aviation fuel sector.

He said the ministry will eventually explore a system for collecting used cooking oil from households. “Just as we have a system to sort and collect wet and dry household waste, we can eventually put in place a mechanism for households to store used cooking oil in cans and hand it over for collection. But it will be a step-by-step process,” he said.

Published – 12 Nov 2026 16:31 IST