No letting loose: Govt tightens screws on edible oil sales

The Centre has advised state governments to enforce a law preventing retailers from selling edible oil in loose form.

In an advisory issued late on Thursday, Nidhi Khare, principal secretary, department of consumer affairs, said, “It is requested that prevention of adulteration may be enforced and the concerned officers may be directed to ensure that the edible oils meant for sale as pre-packaged commodity are sold in their prescribed sizes and not in loose form.”

The ministry of consumer affairs has received several complaints of adulteration in loose edible oils, which sometimes contains entirely different materials. Industry experts believe that loose edible oils often contain banned chemicals and are used by scrupulous manufacturers, traders or retailers. This is to generate huge margins and make a quick buck. Such products create health hazards for consumers. By consuming such loose edible oils, consumers often fall ill and gradually develop chronic diseases.

Manufacturers usually send oil in tins or drum if quantity is higher, but adulteration happens at the retail end. Retailers prefer to sell loose oil, especially to the poor and rural customers, who buy in small quantities. Roadside eateries also prefer to buy loose oil. Some leading companies introduced small pouch-packed edible oil but they could not sustain the products compared with loose oil retailers.

“The department has received several complaints that loose edible oil is being sold by retailers despite failing to comply with quality norms. In this regard, rules provide that edible oils sold as prepackaged commodity be sold only in certain pre-defined sizes. This department has also issued advisories to the controllers of legal metrology (packaged commodity), asking them to ensure compliance with the legal metrology rules,” the Centre’s advisory said.

Sale of loose edible oil is not allowed under any circumstances. Also, re-use of packed materials like tin is also not allowed. But sale of loose edible and re-sale of packing materials are currently happening at the cost of consumers’ health. Unfortunately, loose form contributes half of India’s overall edible oil sales to the tune of 25.5 million tonnes.

“Loose oil sale in India is officially banned for many years now but somehow the law has never been implemented. The state governments must now enforce the ban on sale of directly-edible loose oils and reuse tin and plastic containers only. Banning loose edible oil will address the menace of adulteration and ensure traceability of products,” said B V Mehta, executive director, Solvent Extractors’ Association (SEA).

Edible oil producers like Emami offer smaller size packs of edible oils at affordable rates. Packaged edible oils are often quoted at 20-30 per cent premium compared to loose oils, and hence, consumers of poor strata avoid purchase of costlier products.

“There won’t be any impact of this advisory on consumption of edible oils. Consumers would know what products they are buying and at what price if they purchase edible oils in the packaged form. So, the government’s move is welcome,” said Aditya Agarwal, director, Emami Group, the producers of ‘Healthy & Tasty’ brand edible oils.

India imports 65 per cent of its vegetable (edible) oil requirements from major producing countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Argentina.