Blending of Mustard oil prohibited, oil can’t be sold loose – Check FSSAI's new rules on edible oil effective from June

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Third Amendment Regulations, 2021 has come into effect from June 8 that prohibits blending of Mustard oil for production of Multi sourced edible vegetable oil (MSEVOs).

The FSSAI order has said that in a bid to ensure that ibid prohibition is effectively enforced across all the commissioners of food safety of states/UTs and central licensing authority are requested to carry out an inspection drive of all such units which were hitherto licensed for production of mustard BEVO/MSEVO.

FSSAI has further advised to ensure physical inspection of such units by visiting their premises to check whether any prohibited blending of Mustard oil is being carried after June 8.

Also, among the prominent rules that FSSAI has recommended includes that the Multi Source Edible Vegetable Oil shall not be sold in loose form. It shall be sold in sealed package weighing not more than 15 Kilograms.

The container having Multi Source Edible Vegetable Oil shall be tamper proof. It shall also not be sold under the common or generic name of the oil used in the blend but shall be sold as – Multi Source Edible Vegetable Oil.

The sealed package shall be sold or offered for sale only under AGMARK certification mark bearing the label declarations as provided in the Regulations besides other labelling requirements under the Regulation.”

Domestic retail edible oil prices have shot up over 60 per cent in the last one year. And the government recently said the abnormal increase in rates was in line with the global market and the prices are expected to cool down soon.

India meets 60 per cent of its cooking oil demand through imports.