The supreme food regulator has published a draft on guidelines forbidding the adulteration of mustard oil and requested comments from stakeholders by the 2nd week of Jan., 2021.
Tiltled as the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2020, the draft suggests to add a clause in the prevailing section 2.1 associated to ban on sale of certain admixtures, to prohibit the blending of mustard oil.
The draft declares that notwithstanding the provisions of 2.7 of labelling and packaging guidelines – no individual shall either by himself or by any staff or agent sell- ‘any multi-sourced edible vegetable oil containing Mustard Oil processed on or after 1st October 2020.
Till now, the food regulator has allowed 20% mixing in mustard oil under the standards for blended vegetable oil under FSS (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations.
In addition to this, the draft proposes that for the title ‘Blended Edible Vegetable Oil’ wherever they occur, should be replaced, by- ‘Multi sourced edible vegetable oil.’
It is relevant to mention here that earlier FSSAI had released an order banning the manufacture of blended edible vegetable oil of mustard oil from 1st October requesting the FBOs to be in line with the order.
The order was published on guidelines from the Government of India, in an attempt to facilitate manufacture and sale of pure mustard oil for household consumption and hence FSSAI had planned to come up with an amendment.
In the interim, the Delhi High Court has put a hold on the implementation of the order by the FSSAI forbidding the adulteration of mustard oil in reaction to a petition filed by Delhi based BR Oil Industries Private Limited.
In its petition, the petitioner has stated that while the consultation on the Draft Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2020, is under progress, by the Impugned Direction dated 23rd September, 2020, the mixing of edible vegetable oil with mustard oils as an ingredient has been banned.
