The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked States to curb adulteration in edible oils across the country. It has asked food safety officers in States to take appropriate action if the presence of adulterants is detected in vegetable oil refineries, oil blending units and other production units that make edible vegetable oils

In the order sent to state food safety commissioners on Wednesday, FSSAI said, “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.”

The food safety authority urged food safety commissioners to ensure that testing for oryzanol in mustard oil is carried out on regular basis with strict enforcement. Rice bran oil, which is cheaper and a rich source of oryzanol, is most prevalently used as an adulterant in mustard oils.

In its order, the FSSAI has also urged the commissioners to sensitise food safety officers on undertaking surveillance and enforcement activities needed to seize adulterants from vegetable oil refineries and oil blending units. “If any DAG/Synthetic oil is any oil mill appropriate proceedings should be initiated against such Food Business Operator as per the provision of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and rules and regulations made thereunder,” the order stated.

Last year, in a survey done in the Delhi-NCR region, FSSAI found that 33 per cent samples of mustard oils were found to have oryzanol. The food safety authority had earlier this year, asked officers to collect samples of mustard oils of various brands for testing.

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