No need to have an AGMARK certificate for imported blended edible vegetable oil.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided that blended edible vegetable oil products imported from other countries will no longer need to have AGMARK certification.
The food safety authority made this decision after hearing from people in the industry who wanted to know if AGMARK certification will be needed for imported blended edible vegetable oil products.
According to the rules, food business owners who want to sell blended edible vegetable oil products (BEVO) in the country must also have a valid FSSAI licence and AGMARK certification.
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AGMARK is a certification mark for agricultural products that lets buyers know that the product meets standards set by the Directorate of Marketing & Inspection (DMI), which is part of the Agriculture Ministry.
Why did the earlier notice
In 2020, the FSSAI was worried that a lot of companies that made blended edible oils had gotten FSSAI licences without having the required AGMARK certification. It had also been seen that some food business owners were selling blended edible oil products without the right FSSAI licences.
It had sent out a notice about the need for AGMARK certification before importing mixed edible vegetable oils. The food authority also told state food safety commissioners to take action against manufacturers who sold blended edible vegetable oils without an AGMARK certification mark and an FSSAI licence.
In its most recent advisory, which came out on Thursday, the FSSAI said that it had heard from different people in the industry about whether or not imported food products need AGMARK certification.
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The FSSAI said, ‘The matter was taken up with the DMI (Directorate of Marketing and Inspection), and it was told that DMI does not do foreign country/overseas certification under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act of 1937.’
It said that because of this, it has decided to ‘keep the requirement of AGMARK certification for imported food consignments in abeyance until further orders.’
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