Edible Oils Face Regulatory Shift: Agri Ministry Makes Blend Percentage Specification Mandatory

The Ministry of Agriculture has recently introduced a notification requiring edible oil producers to disclose the blend percentage in their products, particularly if they are multi-source oils. The Agriculture Ministry's latest notification states that these new regulations will apply exclusively to multi-source edible oils that are processed by blending permissible edible vegetable oils.

Published in the gazette on July 5, the notification officially establishes the "Multi-Source Edible Oils Grading and Marking Rules, 2023," which supersede the previous "Blended Edible Vegetable Oils (Grading and Marking) Rules, 1991." These updated rules fall under the jurisdiction of the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937.

The guidelines for blended edible oils specify that companies must prominently display on the label, following the brand name, that it is a "Multi-Source Edible Oil." The subsequent line should outline the blending volume, clearly indicating the names and quantities of the edible oils used, as well as whether they are in raw or refined form.

While the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has established standards, the Agriculture Ministry, through the "Agmark" program, also provides voluntary guidelines for agricultural products. However, certain products such as edible oils are subject to compulsory rules under the Grading and Marking law, according to a senior official. The official stated that according to the rules, edible oil is categorized as an agricultural product, a classification that is disputed by some industry stakeholders.

An executive director of an edible oil industry association remarked that the introduction of new standards by Agmark is unnecessary, especially since the FSSAI has recently proposed the removal of Agmark certification for Multi-Source Vegetable Oils (MSVO). He further suggested that Agmark should align its standards with the existing FSSAI regulations until the FSSAI draft notification is implemented.

For packaging sizes less than one liter, the label declaration of "Multi-Source Edible Oil" must have a font size no smaller than three millimeters, with a minimum declaration length of thirty-five millimeters. The font size for the label declaration should not be less than two millimeters. In the case of packaging sizes ranging from 1 to 5 liters, the font size for the label declaration of "Multi-Source Edible Oil" must be at least four millimeters, with a minimum declaration length of forty-five millimeters. The font size for the label declaration should not be less than 2.5 millimeters.

Officials clarified that while the FSSAI regulates food sold in the market, Agmark provides training to specific company staff to ensure compliance with these manufacturing rules. Under the new regulations, a blend of at least 20 percent of each oil is required when two types of edible oils are blended.

Addressing concerns about potential quality issues resulting from the minimum 20 percent blending requirement, the official explained that there is no restriction if someone wishes to blend less than 20 percent. Instead, the processor should focus on producing a pure 100 percent oil of a single variety.​