The Kerala Food Safety department issued a ban on the manufacture, storage, supply and sale of 42 brands of coconut oil, effective immediately, for failing to meet the quality standards of the the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
On Friday, Food Safety Commissioner AR Ajayakumar issued the order banning the 42 brands of coconut oil.
"From quality checks conducted, we have found brands that are selling substandard or adulterated products by mixing palm, sunflower to other oils and selling it as pure coconut oil. These violate the FFSAI quality guidelines. In some cases, oil is sold in the 80 - 20 ration, which is 80 percent coconut oil and 20 percent sunflower oil. However, buyers are mislead with front labels on these packets which have a full size picture of a broken coconut," Assistant Food Commissioner of Thrissur told TNM.
The brands that have been banned in Friday's order are:
Pure Rotary Coconut Oil Mar Food Products, Kera Pavithram Coconut oil, Kera crystal coconut oil, Kerala Thrupthi Coconut oil, Thara Coconut Oil, Kera Leaf Coconut Oil, Coco Like coconut oil, Kera Theeram Coconut Oil, Kerala Drop Coconut Oil, Rani Oil Mill Changanassery, Swadeshi Chakkilatiya Naadan Vellichenna, Kattapana, AJ and Sons Thrissur, MCC Pur Coconut, Kera Swarnam, Kera Care double filtered coconut oil, Kera Ruchi Coconut Oil, Keravitha pure coconut oil, Kera Silver Coconut oil, MKS Oil Traders, Ernakulam, Mother touch coconut oil, PSK Coconut oil, Kerala Drop Live healthy and wise coconut oil, Coco Haritham Coconut oil, Central Trading Company, Kaithakaad, Pattimattam, Cocoland Coconut Oil, Kera Sun Coconut Oil, Surya Coconut Oil, Ayilyam Coconut Oil, Sowghagya Coconut Oil, Valluvanad Coconut Oil, Surabhi Coconut oil, Kairali Coconut Oil, Kera Theeram Coconut Oil, Kera Crystal Coconut oil, Evergreen Coconut Oil, KPS Gold Coconut Oil, Memories 94 Coconut Oil, Cities Kairali Gold Coconut Oil, Green Like Coconut Oil, Kera Sun coconut oil, Premium Coconut oil.
To ensure that the ban is implemented properly and that these products are not available in stores for sale anymore, the Food Safety Commissioner also instructed food safety officers of each district to implement the order.
He has also instructed that if any of the banned product is found to be sold in the market, then district food safety assistant commissioner must be intimated immediately. Consumers can also dial the toll free number - 1800 425 1125 - to inform if any banned oil brands are being sold.