n Taking a serious view of sale of adulterated mustard oil in Punjab, the state Food and Drug Administration commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu on Monday warned of strong legal action against those indulging in adulteration.
Pannu said that cheap palm oil and crude rice bran oil as well as crude soybean oil are being mixed with mustard oil by many unscrupulous dealers, bottlers and manufacturers, and even colours and chemicals are being added to match the acidity and colour of mustard oil.
“The sensitization activities against adulteration have been conducted on all fora and warning and cautioning have also been done for long now. We have given people a chance to mend their ways. Now, they have either to desist from adulteration or face prosecution,” he said.
Mustard is sown in about one lakh acres during winter months across the State with a total production of about 4.8 lakh quintal.
“The entire community of farmers growing mustard is robbed of its genuine profits due to market being flooded by adulterated mustard oil and this is more than a crime. In fact, it is a sin to deprive the farmers of whatever little room they have for profits in times when agriculture is not so remunerative vocation,” said Pannu.
Warning the adulterators, Pannu said that committees have been constituted to raid the adulterating units and to seize the substandard adulterated mustard oil.