Agriculture Ministry makes it mandatory to specify blend percentage of edible oils
The Indian Ministry of Agriculture has issued a notice requiring edible oil producers to specify the blend ratio in edible oil, especially if it is multi-source. According to the latest notice from the Department of Agriculture, these new rules will only apply in the case of multi-source edible oils that are processed by blending any permitted edible vegetable oils.
“These rules may be called the Classification and Labeling Rules for Multi-Sourcing Edible Oils, 2023,” reads the notice in the Official Gazette issued on July 5. It added that the previous “Mixed Edible Oils (Classification and Labeling) Rules of 1991” had been superseded by these new rules. It said the new rules had been notified under the Agricultural Products (Classification and Marking) Act 1937.
Giving guidance on blended edible oils, she said companies should write prominently on the label, after the brand name, that it is a “multi-source edible oil.” The next line should describe the blend size, clearly indicating the names and volume of the edible oils and whether they are in raw or refined form.
Treated as agricultural products
“While the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has set the standards, the Ministry of Agriculture under ‘Agmark’ also has guidelines on agricultural products, which are mostly voluntary. But there are certain products like edible oils where the rules are under the Classification and Marking Act. mandatory.
Under these rules, he said, “edible oil” is treated as an agricultural product, something many industry stakeholders disagree with. “This is not desirable at this moment when I have just notified the FSSAI of removing MSVO’s Agmark certification,” said the executive director of the Edible Oils Industry Association. However, until the draft notification becomes effective, he said, Agmark It should adjust its standards in line with existing FSSAI standards and should not come up with anything new.
Other specifications
For package size less than one liter, the font size of the Label Statement – Edible Oil Multisource, must be at least three millimeters long with a minimum of 35 mm, and for the Label Statement, the font size must be at least two millimeters as stated
For pack sizes between 1-5 liters, label statement font size –Multi-source edible oil It should not be less than four millimeters and the length of the advertisement statement should be 45 mm as a minimum. Font size must be at least 2.5 millimeters for poster advertisement.
Officials said that while the FSSAI regulates foods sold at the market, Agmark has provided training to specific company employees to ensure these rules are followed during manufacturing. Under these rules, he said, there must be at least 20 percent of each oil when mixing two edible oils.
Asked if it was not inconsistent with quality because it prevented someone from making soybean oil with less than 20 percent from blending another oil, the official said there was no point in someone mixing less than 20 percent; Instead, the processor must make a 100 percent pure oil from just one variety.