Edible Oil Makers in India Asked to Remove Packaging Temperature from Labels

The details about the temperature at the time of packaging will be removed from the labels of edible oil bottles, vanaspati, and non-edible vegetable oil.  The Department of Metrology has asked manufacturers to mention the volume and weight of the content instead, Business Standard reported on July 22.
The report quoted the executive director of the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA), BV Mehta, saying that several oil companies in India have been resorting to the unfair practice of packing the oil at a higher temperature to reduce weight.  Thirty degrees Celsius is considered room temperature.
On July 15, the Legal Metrology department under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution notified the companies, not to mention temperature.  Temperature and density are inversely proportional.  When one of these goes up, the other one falls.  Packing oil at higher temperature means that the quantity in the bottle is less than what it would have been had it been packed at room temperature, the report said.