Brands Tested
Marking
All brands were tested for adulteration by these oils: cotton seed oil, sesame seed oil, argemone oil and mineral oil.
The following information shall be clearly and indelibly marked on the label of each container/ packet as per Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations and Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules:
Customer-care details
Packaging
The packaging material is required to be suitable well-closed tin or plastic containers.
The package, label or advertisement of edible oils and fats shall not use the expressions ‘SuperRefined’, ‘Extra-Refined’, ‘Micro-Refined’, ‘Double-Refined’, ‘Ultra-Refined’, ‘AntiCholesterol’, ‘Cholesterol Fighter’, ‘Soothing to Heart’, ‘Cholesterol-Friendly’, ‘Saturated Fat-Free’, or such other expressions that are an exaggeration of the quality of the product.
Parameters Tested
Insoluble Impurities
As per FSS Regulations, insoluble impurities in olive pomace oil shall not be more than 0.05 per cent.
Free Fatty Acid (FFA) or Free Acidity
Free fatty acidity or free acidity is a very broad indicator of the oil’s quality, or at least how sound the olives were and how carefully the olives were processed. Oils with high free fatty acidity also tend to go rancid more rapidly.
As per FSS Regulations, free fatty acid or free acidity in olive pomace oil shall not be more than one per cent as oleic acid. So, lower is better for consumers.
Heavy Metal Contaminants
We tested for lead and arsenic in all brands. As per FSS Regulations, lead and arsenic shall not be more than 0.1 mg/kg in olive oil.
Adulteration by Others Oils
All brands were tested for adulteration by these oils: cotton seed oil, sesame seed oil, argemone oil and mineral oil.
Customer-Care Details
As per Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, every package shall bear the name, address, telephone number, and email address, if available, of the person who can be – or the office that can be – contacted in case of consumer complaints.