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safefoodmitra.com · 2023-10-18 14:55:14
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has said that banning the blending of edible oils, particularly sunflower oil, has no scientific rationale, as there is no food safety or health concern in consuming them. Instead, the food regulator said in a much-awaited report that blending is beneficial for health, and improves the properties of edible oil. The FSSAI added that there is not enough data to support the idea that banning blended sunflower oil will increase domestic production of sunflower oil. Also, blended edible oil is more affordable, it said. An inter-ministerial committee was set up last year under the chairmanship of the special secretary in the health and family welfare ministry to review the blending of edible oils in general and sunflower oil in particular. This came “after the government found through a field survey that there was an increase in mustard oilseed area post the FSSAI’s ban on the blending of mustard oil for production of multi-sourced edible vegetable oils (MSEVOs) with effect in June 2021," a member of the committee said on request of anonymity. In 2021-22, India is estimated to have produced record-high mustard seeds in the rabi, or winter, crop season of 11.9 million tonnes (mt) against the previous year’s 10.2 mt, according to the agriculture ministry. The FSSAI banned the blending of mustard oil with any oil effective from 8 June 2021 to benefit farmers, provide healthy oil for human consumption and decrease India’s dependence on edible oil imports by increasing production.

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