FSSAI bans blending of mustard oil with any other cooking oil from Oct 1

Food regulator FSSAI has banned the blending of mustard oil with any other cooking oil with effect from October 1. In a letter to the commissioner of food safety of all states and Union Territories, FSSAI said the "blending of mustard oil with any other edible oil in India has been prohibited with effect from October 1, 2020." The edible oil manufacturers or processors, who have the license for production of blended edible vegetable oil with mustard oil, have been directed to sell their existing stocks of mustard oil/mustard seeds or any other edible oil as unblended cooking oils, the letter said.

All such licensees have been asked for a modification of their FSSAI licenses. As per the FSSAI regulations, the blending of two edible oils is permitted, provided the proportion by weight of edible vegetable oil used in the blending process is not less than 20 percent.

"Now the government of India after due deliberations has directed Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ( FSSAI) to prohibit blending in mustard oil and to facilitate manufacture and sale of pure mustard oil for domestic consumption in the public interest," the regulator said.

FSSAI said a draft regulation in this regard is in the works and it will take some time to finalize the rules after taking stakeholders' inputs. "Meanwhile, to implement the said direction of the government of India, it has been decided to operationalize these regulations with effect from October 1, 2020. No manufacturing of blended edible vegetable oil with mustard oil as an ingredient shall be allowed with effect from this date," the FSSAI said.