In the absence of such an option, people, who cannot afford to buy large packs, are compelled to purchase loose quantities of edible oil, which is often adulterated. File photo. For representation purpose
India’s food regulator has asked manufacturers to set-up automated vending machines to sell good quality edible oil in small pouches.
In the absence of such an option, people, who cannot afford to buy large packs, are compelled to purchase loose quantities of edible oil, which is often adulterated.
“An innovative idea to provide edible oil at nominal prices to consumers is its sale through automated tamper-proof vending machines. In order to provide quality edible oil to small consumers and reduce the unauthorised sale of loose oil, it has been decided to allow the sale of edible oil through automated tamper-proof vending machines,” the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said in an order issued last week.
The proposal was debated extensively within the government and with the industry before the FSSAI came out with the order.
“Edible oil is still not widely available in small packages like sachets and pouches at prices which are affordable to a large section of consumers, who resort to purchasing loose edible oil which is of suspect quality,” says the FSSAI order.
Tamper-proof pouches
The regulator also made it clear to the industry that such pouches and sachets would have to be tamper-proof and follow the FSSAI standards on packaging and labelling.
A recent consumer survey highlighted the poor quality of loose edible oils being sold in the rural and semi-urban localities.
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