FSSAI has prescribed the size of the letters on the label of blended vegetable oils under the packaging and labelling regulations. In this regard, the apex food regulator has issued amended draft notification. The said regulations, which may be called the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) First Amendment Regulations, 2018, will come into force on the date of their final publication in the official gazette.

In Regulation 2.3 of the Manner of Declaration, in Sub-regulation 2.3.3 related to the height of numerals in the declaration, the second provision has been substituted. Earlier, the provision did not include the size of the numerals and covered only letters.

It now reads, “Provided further that in case of label declarations required under Sub-regulations 2.4.2 and 2.4.4, except in case of declaration specifying instructions for use or preparation of the product, the size of numerals and letters shall not be less than 3mm.”

Further amendments were with regards to Regulation 2.4, pertaining to the labelling of edible oils and fats under Clause 11. It specifies to declare the label immediately under its brand name, which was not mentioned earlier. It also clarifies the font size of the label declaration.

The substituted clause reads as, “Every package containing an admixture of edible oils shall carry the following label declaration immediately below its brand name, namely:

Blended edible vegetable oil
(Name and nature* of edible vegetable oil) ……………………..% by weight
(Name and nature* of edible vegetable oil)………………………% by weight

(*i e in raw or refined form)

The font size of the label declaration, Blended edible vegetable oil, shall not be less than 5mm,  provided that the font size of the label declaration shall not be less than 10mm in case the net quantity of the edible oils contained in the packages is more than one litre.

There shall also be the following declaration, in bold capital letters, along with the name of product on the front/central panel”

NOT TO BE SOLD LOOSE

The principal regulations were published in the gazette of India dated August 1, 2011, and subsequently amended in 2013 and 2016.