MAM
Consumers must be made aware of packaging malpractices & misbranding of edible oil products
Mumbai: As we celebrate World Consumer Rights Day on 15 March, it serves as a timely reminder of being informed as consumers, especially regarding everyday household staples like edible oil. Therefore, choosing the right cooking oil is crucial for maintaining good health and well-being.
However, recent reports of mislabeling and unsafe packaging methods in the edible oil industry raise safety concerns for consumers. Given the highly competitive landscape of the Indian edible oil market, some edible oil makers, especially unorganized ones, are allegedly indulging into malpractices to maximize their gains. There are reports of refined palm oil being repackaged in different-sized containers and these containers are labelled and sold as other refined edible oils such as cottonseed oil, groundnut oil or sunflower oil. This practice is misleading and violates the regulation enlisted by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).
According to the FSSAI, every food package must clearly and precisely represent its contents on the product ensuring transparency and awareness among the consumers making well–informed decisions based on their requirements and preferences.
The concern here is of consumer health as different cooking oils have variable nutritional properties. Finding the wrong edible oil may impact the consumers with specific allergies to the refined palm oils triggering adverse health issues such as indigestion and also boost bad cholesterol inducing cardiovascular disease. Moreover, consumers seeking health benefits associated with cottonseed oils or any other edible oils are misled by the label on the package.
Adding further concerns, there have been reports of using recycled tins for packing edible oil. This contradicts the regulations laid by FSSAI which prohibit the use of recycled tins under the packaging rules and mandates the use of only prime-grade tin plates specifically for packing edible oil. The FSSAI central authority has clearly stated in their notification that “such tins containers once used shall not be re-used for packaging of any article of food.”
Recycled tins, particularly those tins which are not cleaned or repurposed adequately, might preserve harmful bacteria. The migration of harmful contamination into the edible oil may result in serious health issues, potentially related to foodborne infections, allergic reactions or chronic health problems. Furthermore, recycled tins fail to offer the same level of shelf life for the oil against the environmental factors, releasing dangerous chemicals and rust, potentially leading to rapid spoilage of the edible oil.
As consumers, one should be completely aware of these critical issues and thereby always choose safe and accurately labelled edible oil. Consumers should carefully check the labels of the edible oil and verify the FSSAI license number on the product to ensure its credibility.
Nonetheless, the responsibility solely doesn’t lie with consumers. The edible oil industry players must come together to eliminate such malpractices within the industry and promote transparency while strictly adhering to the FSSAI’s standards. It is high time that industry should launch an awareness drive in collaboration with general public to identify entities or people indulging in such malpractices and report them to the competent authority. The industry must pledge themselves to provide the consumers with safe and trustworthy cooking oil options, while encouraging all the consumers to be aware and choose reputable brands that value transparency and ethical practices.
The author of this article is Gujarat Oil Refiners’ Association secretary Snehal Patel.
Brands
SPNI promotes Tavishi Budhiraja to vice president for HR and DEI
Longtime HR leader steps up to drive revenue teams and inclusion agenda
GURUGRAM: Sony Pictures Networks India has elevated Tavishi Budhiraja to vice president, HR business partner for revenue functions and diversity and inclusion, strengthening its people leadership across key business verticals.
In her expanded role, Budhiraja will oversee HR strategy for revenue-facing teams including ad sales across linear and digital, distribution and international business, while continuing to lead the company’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Budhiraja has been with the network for over 15 years, rising through the ranks from HR business partner for ad sales to assistant vice president, where she also took on the diversity and inclusion mandate. Her elevation reflects both continuity and a sharper focus on aligning people strategy with business growth.
Prior to joining SPNI, she worked with Reliance Communications as deputy manager, gaining early experience in human resources.
Announcing the move, Budhiraja said she looks forward to deepening impact and strengthening people strategies across teams, while continuing to grow within the organisation.
The promotion comes as media companies increasingly invest in talent and workplace culture to support evolving revenue models and digital expansion, making HR leadership a critical lever for long-term growth.
