KUALA LUMPUR: Allegations that imported cooking oil is being blended with locally produced supplies before being re-exported under a Malaysian label have raised concerns over product origin, traceability and food safety, prompting calls for the authorities to investigate the practice.
Maritime Network Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Seri R. Jeyenderan said the alleged practice, described by industry players as an oil “cocktail”, warranted closer scrutiny, particularly in relation to product origin, quality and food safety.
He said an examination of cargo manifests and bills of lading had raised concerns over how the oil’s country of origin was declared and whether its actual composition could be verified after blending.
Jeyenderan, who has more than 30 years of experience in the maritime industry, said independent laboratory tests were necessary to establish whether both the imported oil and the final blended product met the required quality and food safety standards.
He also questioned whether oil samples were tested before vessels carrying the cargo left Malaysian waters.
According to him, the vessels concerned were allegedly not equipped with specialised laboratory facilities or staffed by qualified chemists who could conduct detailed analyses of the oil samples.
“How could the actual composition and quality of the cargo be independently verified without proper laboratory testing?
“The issue is not just about blending different types of oil, but also whether the origin and composition of the final product can be properly established before it is exported,” he said.
Jeyenderan said any possibility of contamination should be investigated through scientific testing rather than assumptions.
“If the oil is contaminated, what could be the impact on public health? Who is responsible for ensuring that the final product is safe for consumption?” he asked.
He said international standards and trade requirements already set out expectations concerning product origin, testing and traceability.
Under the Codex Alimentarius, the food standards framework developed by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization, the General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods requires a product’s country of origin to be declared if omitting the information could mislead or deceive consumers.
“Codex only allows the origin to shift when processing changes the nature of the food. Simply mixing imported oil with Malaysian oil does not change its nature, so declaring the blend as wholly Malaysian may mislead buyers,” he said.
On testing, he noted that international palm oil trade contracts under FOSFA International, including FOSFA Contract No. 81, issued jointly with the Palm Oil Refiners Association of Malaysia (PORAM), require independent analysis by qualified surveyors.
He also warned that Article 3 of the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), which is scheduled to apply to large operators from Dec 30, 2026, requires palm oil entering the EU market to be traceable to the plots of land where it was produced.
“If foreign oil of unknown origin is mixed into Malaysian oil, the whole cargo may fail EUDR traceability. That puts genuine Malaysian exporters and our MSPO credibility at risk just as the regulation comes into force,” he said.
Jeyenderan urged the authorities to clarify the procedures governing the import, blending, sampling, quality certification and re-export of cooking oil, including which agencies were responsible for monitoring each stage.
He said proper documentation and independent laboratory testing were essential to ensure that products exported from Malaysia complied with the required standards and that their country of origin was accurately declared.
He added that failure to address the concerns could undermine consumer confidence and damage Malaysia’s reputation as a food product exporter.
Meanwhile, The Edge reported yesterday, citing industry sources, that imported palm oil was allegedly being blended with locally produced supplies before being re-exported, potentially allowing foreign-origin oil to be marketed as Malaysian palm oil.
The report said trade sources had described the alleged practice as a “cocktail”, with blending ratios of 75:25 or 80:20 reportedly circulating in the market.
An industry source quoted in the report described the alleged blending as adulteration of Malaysian oil, saying the practice could not be established through market observations alone and required checks by the authorities.
The source warned that the alleged practice, if taking place, could displace locally produced palm oil in overseas markets and undermine confidence in Malaysia’s palm oil brand, including its Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification and traceability framework.
“Customs, MPOB and MITI (Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry) already hold the import and origin records, so this can be checked quickly,” the source added.
