‘Jordan to ban hydrogenated oil in dairy products’

AMMAN — Jordan will ban the use of hydrogenated oil in dairy produce by 2017, the Jordan Standards and Metrology Organisation (JSMO)confirmed on Wednesday. 

After the ban, only animal fat that occurs naturally in dairy produce will be allowed in products like milk and cheese, JSMO Director General Haydar Zaben said. 

A global decision to ban hydrogenated oil was issued after a study on its side effects was presented at the World Food Summit in Rome in 2015, according to Zaben. 

“[Hydrogenated oils] have serious side effects on veins and arteries,” Zaben said.

Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) Director General Hayel Obeidat said around 10 factories were informed of the decision to ban the oil, which was taken on May 12.

“By December 31, there will be no dairy factory in Jordan using hydrogenated oil,” Obeidat added. 

The schedule of the ban was designed to give traders time to use or re-export their supplies of hydrogenated oils, he said, adding that no imports of the oil had been allowed by the dairy industry since the May 12 decision. 

Hydrogenated oils can still be used in the production of chips and chocolate, Obeidat said, noting that the ban only applies to dairy products as they are a staple part of the Jordanian diet.

The ban will facilitate investment and exports to the European market, the JFDA official added.  

The JFDA hopes to start working with universities in 2017 to develop research on food, Obeidat said, adding that universities had welcomed the initiative. 

The JDFA conducts around 85,000 laboratory tests annually on food prepared for export, and runs 15 observatory programmes to assist in reviewing food legislation, he noted.