The Centre has mandated standard pack sizes for edible oils under legal metrology rules, in a move designed to enhance price transparency, facilitate comparison across brands and help consumers make more informed choices.
The department of consumer affairs amended its standard operating procedure (SoP) for determination of net quantity and standard pack sizes of edible oils and fats, giving manufacturers, packers and importers a three-month transition period to comply with the new norms, an official statement said.
Under the revised rules, major edible oils — including palm, soybean, sunflower, mustard, groundnut, sesame, rice bran, cottonseed and corn oils, along with blended variants — can be sold only in nine standard pack sizes ranging from 200 ml/gm to 20 litres/kg.
The decision follows extensive consultations with major edible oil industry associations representing nearly 90 per cent of India’s edible oil sector.
Under the new norms, if the quantity of edible oil is shown in volume, the package must also clearly mention the equivalent weight according to the legal metrology (packaged commodities) Rules, 2011.
The provisions will apply to both domestically manufactured and imported edible oils.
Packages below 200 ml or 200 grams and minor edible oils have been exempted from the standard pack size requirement to ensure continued availability of affordable small packs.
Businesses that want to adopt the standard pack sizes ahead of the deadline will be allowed to do so immediately, the department said.
Welcoming the move, Sudhakar Desai, president of the Indian Vegetable Oil Producers’ Association (IVPA) said, “This move will restore structural sanity to retail shelves and level the playing field.”
“While the non-standardisation was done to give freedom to the industry, for over three years, this practice has distorted the market leading to proliferation of such packs, creating widespread confusion in the marketplace,” he added.