The apex food regulator has issued a draft on regulations prohibiting the blending of mustard oil and sought comments from stakeholders by January second week next year.
Called the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Amendment Regulations, 2020, the draft proposes to add a clause in the existing section 2.1 related to prohibition on sale of certain admixtures, to ban the mixing of mustard oil.
The draft states that notwithstanding the provisions of 2.7 of labelling and packaging regulations - no person shall either by himself or by any servant or agent sell- ‘any multi-sourced edible vegetable oil containing Mustard Oil manufactured on or after October 1, 2020.’
The food regulator has until now allowed 20 per cent blending in mustard oil under the standards for blended vegetable oil under FSS (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations.
Also, the draft proposes that for the words ‘Blended Edible Vegetable Oil' wherever they occur, be substituted, by- ‘Multi sourced edible vegetable oil.’
It is pertinent to mention here that previously FSSAI had issued an order prohibiting the production of blended edible vegetable oil of mustard oil from October 1 asking the FBOs to comply with the order.
The order was issued on directions from the Government of India, in order to facilitate manufacture and sale of pure mustard oil for domestic consumption and subsequently FSSAI had decided to bring in an amendment.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court has stayed the implementation of the order by the FSSAI prohibiting the blending of mustard oil in response to a petition filed by Delhi based BR Oil Industries Private Limited.
In its petition, the petitioner has said 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 September 23, 2020, the blending of edible vegetable oil with mustard oils as an ingredient has been prohibited.