Sainsbury has announced it has completed the final steps of its multi-billion dollar $2 billion investment in white cooking oils.

The company said it has begun producing the first white oil, known as Zsoumi, which it hopes to sell globally by the end of 2019.

Zsoumias white oil is intended to replace refined white cooking fuels and be more environmentally friendly, and has been approved for use in the US and Europe, it said in a statement.

Zimbabwe’s white oil production is currently at a low level of about 40 million tonnes, according to the company, but is projected to increase to as much as 400 million tonnes by 2020.

White cooking oil has been used by governments around the world, such as the UK and China, to combat blackening of the skin and to combat the spread of HIV and other communicable diseases.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved the oil for use by people with HIV, tuberculosis and other infectious diseases.