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Edible oil Industry to write volume & weight not temperature on package

Edible oil Industry asked to write volume & weight not temperature on package
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The edible oil Industry asked to write volume & weight not temperature on the package.

The Department of Legal Metrology has asked the companies that make edible oil, vanaspati, and non-edible vegetable oils to write on the package the volume and weight of the product, but not the temperature at which it was filled.

In a statement, BV Mehta, the Executive Director of the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA), said that the group had told the Department of Legal Metrology in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food, and Public Distribution that some edible oil companies are using unfair trade practices by packing 1-liter packs at a higher temperature than room temperature (30°C), giving consumers less weight.

He also said that the association had suggested standardizing the way oil is packed so that consumers always get the same amount of oil and don’t get ripped off. Also Read | Prices for edible oils may continue to drop from their six-month low.

Concerns of consumers

‘We are happy to report that the Legal Metrology Department in New Delhi has taken the association’s suggestion into account and issued an order on July 15, 2022, requiring manufacturers of edible oil, vanaspati, and non-edible vegetable oils to list the volume and weight of the product in the package but not the temperature at which it was filled,’ he said, adding that this will protect the interests of consumers and give everyone a fair chance.

The July 15 order said that since temperature and density are inversely related, and volume stays the same, the consumer may be tricked when the packaging says the temperature is higher.

According to the Fourth Schedule of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, the net quantity of ‘non-edible vegetable oil, edible oil, vanaspati ghee, and butter oil’ must be stated in volume or weight. But according to the Second Schedule of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, if the net quantity is stated in volume, it must also be stated in mass. But there is no rule that says a specific temperature has to be written on the package of edible oil, it said.

‘The manufacturers/packers/importers may be told to change their labels to show the net quantity in units of volume within six months from the date of this order, and the temperature should not be mentioned,’ the order said.

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