Oil in sachets a must now
The State Government has at last has taken a crucial step towards ensuring quality and quantity in the supply of edible oil to consumers. As many as 29 widely-used edible oils, including refined vegetable oil, coconut oil and sunflower oil have to be sold in packaged sachets, henceforth.
The Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department, in a recent order, has directed implementation of Edible Oil Packing (Regulation) in the State. The move comes 12 years after the Centre’s order came into force. However, the measure had hit a road block with The Bangalore Oil and Oil Seeds Association obtaining a stay order from the High Court.
“We want to strictly implement the order, which protects the interest of consumers. Once implemented, the rules will put a break on adulteration. We are taking steps to get the stay vacated. We have given enough time to all the companies and merchants to set up infrastructure to package oil,” Department Commissioner H R Srinivas said. In case of violation, the Government has the authority to cancel licence to sell oil, besides initiating criminal proceedings depending on other offences under the Essential Commodities Act, officials said.
As many as 128 edible oil companies operating in the State, including popular brands like Parachute and Saffola, have already complied with the order and are selling their products in packaged containers. It is small and local companies and merchants who are against it. They are demanding more time to set up necessary infrastructure like packaging units and laboratory.
There are about 2,000 small companies and merchants operating in the State, officials said. The Department had been extending time to comply with the rules all these years. After the Centre issued the order under the Essential Commodities Act in 1998, the Government had almost voluntarily exempted all edible oil companies from following the rules till 2005. The Association, in the year 2005 said it was unpreapred compelling the Government to extend the deadline up to 2007. The issue was in cold storage since then.
When contacted, Association President K V Satyanarayana Babu said small companies and merchants cannot compete with big companies. “We have to spend Rs 20 lakh to set up a packaging unit and Rs five lakh for a testing laboratory. sum. We are actually buying oil in bulk from big merchants and selling it locally in metal tins... We need more time to comply with the order. So we have obtained the stay,” he added.
DH News Service
Now, you can get these in packets
Coconut oil, cotton seed oil, groundnut oil, linseed oil, mahua oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil (virgin oil, refined olive oil, refined olive pomale oil), poppy seed oil, sunflower seed oil, imported sunflower seed oil and sunflower seed oil, taramira oil, til oil (gingerly and sesame oil), niger seed oil, maize (corn) oil, refined vegetable oil, interesterified vegetable fat oil, almond oil, water melon seed oil, imported rapeseed oil, P Oil, palmolein oil, palm kernel oil, sunflower seed oil (oil from the cake of the plants), imported sunflower seed oil (high oleic acid), rice bran oil, blended edible vegetable oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil and partially hydrogenated soybean oil.
