Mustard oil adulteration under scanner in Mohali

MOHALI: Following directions from food safety commissioner K S Pannu, the Mohali administration is all set to crack the whip on the sale of adulterated mustard oil in the city. 

Mohali deputy commissioner Gurpeet Kaur Sapra said that directions have been given to the food safety teams of the health department to be strict in this regard. 

"Commissioner of food and drug administration has warned of strong legal action against people who indulge in adulteration. Many unscrupulous dealers, bottlers and manufacturers mix cheap palm oil, crude rice bran oil and crude soybean oil with mustard oil. 

They even add colours and other chemicals. We have given these people a chance to mend ways. Now it is time for them to face action," Sapra said and added that sensitization activities against adulteration had already been conducted.

Meanwhile, commissioner of food and drug administration Kahan Singh Pannu said that that cheaper adulterated mustard oil was harmful for health and impacting sales of genuine mustard oil.

"Mustard is sown in around one lakh acres of land during winter in the state. This gives produce equivalent to 4.8 lakh quintals. It is vital to note that farmers growing mustard get robbed of their genuine profits due to markets being flooded with adulterated mustard oil," Pannu said. 

Warning adulterators, Pannu said that committees have been constituted to raid and seize substandard adulterated mustard oil from the units that are involved in such activities. "We will also take legal action against people involved in production of spurious and sub-standard mustard oil.

"No exceptions will be made. Adulteration is not an activity ushered by ignorance, it comes under a well-planned criminal activity," the official added.

Punjab crackdown on adulterated edible oil

Raids conducted across the State

After its recent drive against spurious milk and dairy products, the Punjab Food and Drug Administration has launched a crackdown on those involved in adulteration of edible oils.

Food safety teams are conducting raids across the State against those involved in adulteration of oil, especially mustard oil, which is consumed by a large section of the population in Punjab.

Punjab Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu said the food safety team in Fazilka conducted a raid at NG Oil Mill, Abohar, and found 725 litres of impure mustard oil and 352 litres of edible oil.

Samples were taken for further investigation and the stock was seized.

“The manufacturer was selling adulterated edible oil as mustard oil. The packaging part of the factory and an oil tanker were sealed. The team also seized 46 litres of Royal Taj cooking medium being sold as desi ghee from Abhey Trading Company being run from a domestic premises,” he said.

Earlier, the team sealed an oil manufacturing unit near Ahmedgarh in Ludhiana. “Though the manufacturing unit was located in Ludhiana district, the packaging address was given of Sangrur district. The entire packaged material, nearly 168 litres of mustard oil, was seized and the unit sealed. Misbranded mustard oil was also found at a factory in Khanna,” said Mr. Pannu.

Mr. Pannu said an inspection at Krishna Traders, Hoshiarpur, unearthed 180 kg of adulterated desi ghee made from vanaspati. “The stock was seized and samples of desi ghee and vanaspati were taken for investigation,” he added.