JEDDAH: The price of cooking oil in the Kingdom has shot up by 40 percent this week, registering a 50 percent rise in the overall price of oil compared to last year.
While some people are concerned about the huge dent this will make on their family budget, others — who often eat at restaurants and buy food from fast food places — worry about their health as the likelihood of eateries reusing oil to save cash increases.
Dr. Mujahid Safar, a leading cardiologist, warned against reusing oil for cooking, Al-Madinah daily reported.
“If you boil the oil several times it undergoes a chemical change, which is harmful to one’s health,” the cardiologist said, adding that it is always healthier to abstain from fried food at restaurants. “People should opt for baked and boiled food and avoid fried food, even at home,” he said.
Safar said that corn oil, sunflower oil, canola oil and olive oil are healthier than butter, which increases cholesterol and leads to heart diseases.
Muhammad, who runs a restaurant in downtown Jeddah, said the price increase in oil has left him in a dilemma, as he now pays SR120 for an 18 liter can of cooking oil, which used to cost SR55. “At the same time I cannot raise the price of food as this would drive away customers. Even the cheapest variety costs SR100 a can,” he said.
Um Yusuf, a mother of three, said she would be looking at cheaper ways to cook as two liters of oil, which used to cost SR8, now costs SR14.
According to Sami Baroum of Savola Group, a leading manufacturer of cooking oil, local oil companies are not responsible. The increase in prices is because of an increase in the cost of raw materials. “We have not increased the prices. On the contrary, we are helping to control the prices by making oil available to everyone,” he said.