Suspicions regarding the sale of sub-standard edible oil in Telangana have proved true. Officials of the Food Safety department have detected 10 cases of adulteration — in some cases, low-cost edible oil was mixed with higher-valued oil, and in others, old oil was mixed with new stock.
The officials had collected samples from small-scale oil packaging units and kirana (grocery) stores where oil packets are opened and the product is sold ‘loose’. A case of misbranding was also detected.
“An edible oil sample is categorised as sub-standard when low-costing product is mixed with a higher value one, or when old oil with comparatively high acid value is mixed with the new stock. After the mixing, it is sold at high price to make easy money,” said C. Sivaleela, director, Institute of Preventive Medicine (IPM). The Food Safety department comes under the purview of IPM. Currently, they have not come across such violation at manufacturing units or with respect to sealed packets.
