COPE: Oil issue and ‘slippery’ answers
Friday 9th October, 2026 Some crucial problems have remained intractable in the public sector because a chronic lack of inter-institutional cooperation has stood in the way of tackling them. The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has recently addressed one such issue. While examining the affairs of the Coconut Development Authority (CDA), the Coconut Research Institute, […]
The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has brought attention to persistent issues plaguing the public sector due to inadequate cooperation among institutions. One such issue involves reprocessed and adulterated coconut oil infiltrating the local food industry, posing significant food-safety risks. COPE Chairman Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera highlighted 150 instances of non-compliance with standards in the coconut-oil manufacturing sector and questioned why relevant authorities, such as the Health Ministry and Consumer Affairs Authority, had not been informed of these illegal practices.
The officials responded, stating they lacked the authority to take action. COPE Chairman emphasized the importance of inter-institutional cooperation to tackle such problems effectively and highlighted the health risks associated with waste cooking oil trade. Sri Lanka has long grappled with edible oil-related food-safety concerns, with evidence pointing to malpractices such as blending coconut oil with cheaper vegetable oils, reselling used oil, and distributing products contaminated with aflatoxins.
Investigations from 2017 revealed shipments of used cooking oil alongside chemical-treated oil barrels, with some samples being found adulterated. A 2021 study uncovered a chain of vendors purchasing used cooking oil from food outlets, filtering and reselling it to small-scale restaurants. Although several studies have documented the waste cooking oil racket, significant interventions to eradicate it have been lacking.
Media reports further revealed 67 shipments involving 31 Sri Lankan buyers and 38 suppliers in the July 2024-June 2025 period, though the database combines various oil categories, which does not definitively confirm the use of imported used oil in human consumption. Given that non-communicable diseases (NCDs) account for about three-quarters of all deaths in Sri Lanka, public health experts stress the urgency of implementing a comprehensive strategy for monitoring and regulating the cooking oil trade, as well as prosecuting those involved in illegal practices.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
