Government launches inspections to enforce edible oil norms

In an effort to strengthen monitoring of a sector essential to the nation's food security, the government announced on Wednesday that it will begin inspection campaigns to confirm adherence to new edible oil standards.

 According to the Food Ministry, the field inspections are intended to enforce more stringent reporting guidelines under a revised directive that requires all producers, distributors, and processors of edible oil to register with the government and provide monthly production data.

The inspections will target non-compliant units and are intended to "reinforce the seriousness of compliance and maintain the integrity of the national data ecosystem for the edible oil sector," the ministry said in a statement.

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The Collection of Statistics Act of 2008 and the modified order impose penalties on companies that do not comply.

As the nation continues to rely significantly on imports to meet domestic demand, regulations are becoming more stringent.

 A sizable number of edible oil units have already registered on the platform, according to the ministry, indicating industry support for the new regulations.

According to the department, compliance is "a crucial contribution to India's food security architecture." The move intends to strengthen policy intervention in the sector and enable real-time monitoring.

With almost 14 million tonnes imported each year, India is the world's biggest importer of edible oils, mostly soybean oil from Argentina and Brazil and palm oil from Indonesia and Malaysia.