China Launches Probe Into Cooking Oil Transportation After Report of Contaminated Tankers

By Lu Yutong, Feng Yiming, Sun Yanran, Bao Yunhong and Ding Yi

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Citing a truck driver, the Beijing News report said that the practice is an “open secret” in the tanker truck industry..

A handful of central government agencies have launched an investigation into the transportation of cooking oil in China after domestic media reported some companies were hauling the consumer staple in the same tankers used to carry chemical oils.

The report has triggered a public outcry and prompted several e-commerce platforms to take the products of implicated brands off the shelves.

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Chinese government agencies are investigating the use of chemical oil tankers for transporting cooking oil, following a report by Beijing News.
Major e-commerce platforms have delisted implicated brands, and public outcry has ensued.
Cleaning tankers is costly and improperly enforced regulations contribute to the issue, with state-owned Sinograin conducting its own internal investigations.

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Who’s Who

China Grain Reserves Group Co. Ltd.: China Grain Reserves Group Co. Ltd., also known as Sinograin, is a state-owned food giant. It was implicated in transporting cooking oil in tankers previously used for chemical oils, as reported by The Beijing News. In response to the allegations, Sinograin launched an extensive inspection of all its affiliated companies to identify contamination risks and vowed to end partnerships with any companies that violated regulations.

Hopefull Grain & Oil Group: Hopefull Grain & Oil Group, a privately owned company, was implicated in a report for transporting cooking oil in tankers previously used for chemical oils without proper cleaning. This practice, described as an "open secret" in the industry, has led to the removal of Hopefull's products from several e-commerce platforms. Hopefull’s official stores on major platforms like JD.com, Taobao, and Pinduoduo had no listed products following the report.

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What Happened When

2014：: A national transportation industry standard requiring that edible oils be transported in dedicated containers and forbidding the use of non-edible oil tankers was put in place.

2021：: A regulation governing grain clearly prohibiting the use of contaminated vehicles or packaging materials to transport grain and strictly forbidding the mixing of grain with toxic substances during transit was issued.

Over the weekend, July 6-7, 2024：: Sinograin issued a statement saying it had launched a broad inspection of all affiliated companies to uncover contamination risks during transportation and promised to stop working with companies found to have violated regulations.

Last week Before July 9, 2024：: The Beijing News reported that some companies had used tanker trucks to carry shipments of cooking oil after transporting coal-based oils without cleaning them first.

Tuesday, July 9, 2024：: The State Council’s Food Safety Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission, the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR), the State Administration of Grain and Reserves and several ministries opened an investigation into the transportation of cooking oil in China.

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