The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has concluded a nationwide campaign against the adulteration of edible oils with a single oil as a constituent, trans-fatty acids, and the sale of multi-source edible oils without proper labeling.
The surveillance drive was carried out between 1-14 August 2022 across the country. A total of 4m845 surveillance samples of vegetable oils, multi-source edible oils, vanaspati were collected across 35 states and UTs, FSSAI said in a press release.
The Commissioners of Food Safety in all states and UTs were directed to lift samples in a staggered manner from the markets so that the sample base is wider and representative of all food business operators (FBOs) and brands.
During this fortnightly campaign, all state food safety departments carried out intensive surveillance to track down FBOs that may be found selling adulterated edible oils or loose edible oil. More than 27,500 liters of loose edible oil were seized across the country on the spot during the course of the inspection.
The samples have been sent to accredited food testing laboratories for analysis. Any suspected case of adulteration will draw legal action under the FSS Act, 2006. The campaign was monitored by all state food safety commissioners and FSSAI.
