New standards for cooking oil are due to take effect soon, a government official said yesterday.

"We are looking at a total of 92 standards for the cooking oil industry and we expect the standard regulatory authority to issue some shortly," Du Zheng, director of the Standards and Quality Center of State Administration of Grain, told China Daily.

"Thirty of the standards are almost decided upon, 10 of which address the edible oil sector," he added.

The 10 edible oil standards will address product quality and the manufacturing processes of four categories of edible oil - sesame oil, olive oil, palm oil and multi-purpose nutrition oil.

China has already issued product standards for eight kinds of plant-based oil, such as soybean and peanut oil.

"The new standards will help guide manufacturers and ensure the market as a whole is well regulated. Of course, since the manufacture of cooking oil is complicated, the healthy development of the segment will also depend on self-regulation," Du stressed.

Zhang Zhentao, general manager of COFCO Food Sales & Distribution Co Ltd, said his company has been actively involved in drafting the new standards and has provided the regulator with technical details for Fortune Cooking Oil, an edible oil brand managed by COFCO.

(China Daily July 27 2007)