Trade body SEA for blending more than two cooking oils

Solvent Extractors Association of India has sought blending of more than two oils to improve the nutritional value of cooking oils, which it believes will also balance the prices of various oils.

Currently, the government allows blending of only two cooking oils with the proviso that the proportion of one not be less than 20 per cent of total volume.

"The association has strongly pleaded with the Food Safety Standard Authority of India that blending of more than two refined vegetable oils be permitted whilst fixing the specifications like colour, moisture, volatile matter, acid value, unsaponifiable matter and flash point as being followed in most of advanced countries," SEA President Sunil Goenka wrote in a letter to members.

The industry body also said that issuing of Agmark certificate for blended oils should be done away with as it does not serve any purpose.

"Removal of such procedural hurdles and allowing multiple blending of oils will ensure easy availability of nutritional vegetable oils to the consumers and also help in balancing the prices of various oils as it will reduce consumer preference for any particular oil," the letter said.

The industry body is also for use of India-made sal fat, sal stearin, mango stearin and kokum fat by the domestic chocolate industry, as use of vegetable oil fat in making chocolate is currently prohibited in the country.

SEA said, the same is exported to European countries for use in chocolates in the form of cocoa butter equivalents.

China visit
Meanwhile, SEA plans a trade delegation to China in March for marketing oilmeals, as it sees the most populous country as a next big market.

"China currently buys about 400,000-500,000 tonnes of various oilmeals from India. Export to China has a large potential and the exports can be doubled if more attention is paid to the Chinese market," the SEA president wrote.

The trade body will also send delegations to neighbouring countries such as Cambodia and Laos, as they are perceived as upcoming markets, he said.

India currently has surplus oilmeals, especially that of soymeal, due to increased crushing and comparatively lower export demand during peak soybean supply season.

SEA has also communicated to its members that castor oilmeal has been approved by the government of India as an organic fertiliser.