Edible oil cos cut the trigs 'n' stunts
NIDHI NATH SRINIVAS
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2003 11:50:43 PM ]

NEW DELHI: The last thing they want just now is a Cadbury’s-style controversy. Top cooking oil brands are quietly removing claims of being cholesterol-free after Maharashtra government read out the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to the edible oil sector.

Marico’s Saffola and Sweekar, Cargill’s Nature Fresh and Purita, Godrej, and Agro Tech Food’s Sundrop and Crystal will soon stop saying they are cholesterol-free, in the nutritional table on the packs, to avoid any confrontation with food inspectors across the country.

But though they are not looking for a fight, bemused companies say they were only stating a fact accepted by food authorities globally. On the other hand, no state has yet taken on the cohort of small local brands, who spot really big whoppers on every pack with virtually no quality control. After clamping down on Cadbury’s chocolates, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Authority has now asked refined oil brands in the state to remove all claims of ‘zero cholesterol’ because officials believe this flouts Rule 37 D of the PFA Act.

Ironically, though they just might win if they went to court against this interpretation, the last thing big edible oil companies want before Diwali is a disruption of sales by food authorities. Moreover, there is every likelihood that food inspectors in other states might start obstructing trade as well on this pretext.

“The larger brands have always complied with the PFA Act even though interpretations wary. Yet, they are open to harassment because under PFA, a company’s officials can be arrested on a non-bailable warrant. They also don’t want to spend their time trying to re-invent the wheel by collecting data to convince food inspectors. It is time the government recognised that the PFA needs serious overhauling,” say industry watchers.