Chipsi Mayai: Concerns Surrounding Cooking Oil Safety

Residents of Dar es Salaam have expressed their concerns about the safety of the cooking oil used in making chipsi, a popular food in the city. Although chipsi is a quick and affordable meal, complaints have arisen about the use of dirty and hazardous oil in its preparation.

Chipsi consumers have voiced their apprehensions about their health, noting that some vendors use transformer oil, which is dangerous to human health. This situation has caused significant concern within the community, with some expressing reluctance to buy chipsi again due to the risks posed by dirty oil.

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“Chipsi is my favorite food, especially Chipsi Yai. I love it so much and I can’t go a day without eating chipsi. However, the big problem is how chipsi is prepared. It’s scary to see how dirty the oil is and some cooks use transformer oil. They are risking our health, and that makes me hesitate to buy chipsi again,” says Grace Johnson, a chipsi lover.

Sophia Jacob says, “I eat chipsi regularly, but I don’t care much about how it’s prepared. I’ve never watched them cook in the kitchen, but I’ve heard that some use transformer oil and even quadruple it in making chipsi. The oil is dirty, but we just eat it. They focus on money, but their health will suffer.”

Fatuma Saad explains, “I like eating chipsi although I don’t love it very much. But how it’s prepared is dangerous. The oil used is dirty especially in coastal areas. I’ve heard that some use transformer oil, although I’ve never seen it myself. But I know that dirty oil like that will cause stomach problems.”

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Lameck Samson says, “We youth of Dar es Salaam eat chipsi a lot. It’s an easily available and quick meal. But our stomachs bother us a lot, we get potbellies. This is due to poor preparation and how chipsi is fried. That oil is not good, it’s killing our generations. Some use transformer oil. We need to be careful with our health.”

Chipsi vendors have come forward to explain their efforts to ensure the safety of the food they provide to the public. However, they have emphasized that a significant challenge could be poverty, which leads some of them to use dirty oil because of its affordability.

With the emergence of these complaints, the community continues to be encouraged about the importance of food safety and health. Calls have been made for vendors and consumers to work together to ensure that chipsi, which is a significant part of many people’s diets, is prepared in a safe and healthy manner.