The States have been requested by The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)to control adulteration in edible oils nation over. The food safety officers in States have been asked by FSSAI to take the necessary action if the presence of adulterants is confirmed in vegetable oil refineries, oil blending units and other production units involved in the production of edible vegetable oils.
The guidelines sent by FSSAI to the food safety officers in state declared, “It is advised to strictly monitor the production process of all vegetable oil refineries and blending units through surveillance through indicators like presence of glycerine in the oil mills, presence of oryzanol in the mustard oil products of such mills/Food Business Operators and ensure prevention of use of any synthetic oil for adulteration with any edible vegetable oil including mustard oil”.
Food safety commissioners were asked by the food safety authority to make sure that test for detection of oryzanol in mustard oil is being performed on a regular basis with strict implementation. The most widely used adulterant in mustard oils is the rice bran oil since it is cheaper and a rich source of oryzanol.
The FSSAI has also requested the commissioners in its orders to sensibilize food safety officers on take on monitoring and implementing activities required to grab adulterants from vegetable oil refineries and oil blending units. “If any DAG/Synthetic oil is seized in any oil mill appropriate proceedings should be done against such Food Business Operator as per the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and rules and regulations made there under,” the order proclaimed.
A year ago, in a survey study done by FSSAI in the Delhi-NCR locale, almost 33 percent of the mustard oil samples were found to be adulterated with the presence oryzanol. Earlier this year, officers were urged by the food safety authority to collect samples from various brands of mustard oils to examine if any adulteration has been done.
