Vitamin A has not been found in 51 per cent of loose soybean oil being sold in the domestic market, posing threat to public health, according to a BSTI lab test report.
So, various organisations, including Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI), have recommended stopping the supply of loose edible oil.
However, oil mill owners said that the mills in the country have no capacity for packaging of 100 per cent oil as per the demand for edible oil.
This was disclosed at an awareness meeting on the stop of marketing and sale of loose soybean oil held at the head office of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) on Monday.
Chaired by Director General of DNCRP HM Shafiquzzaman, the meeting was attended by the representatives from DNCRP, Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, Consumers Association of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Vegetable Oil Refiners and Banaspati Manufacturers Association.
In the meeting, the representative of BSTI said that 970 oil samples were tested from July to June in FY2022-23 to verify the presence of Vitamin A in edible oil. Of them, 204 samples were collected from loose oil while 766 from bottled oil.
The test showed that 837 samples contained Vitamin A but sufficient vitamin was not found in the rest of 133 samples.
Vitamin A was not found in 104 samples out of 204 loose-oil samples. It meant that 52 per cent of the samples collected from loose oil did not contain enough Vitamin A.
The representative agreed to stop marketing of loose soybean oil on behalf of his organisation.
The DNCRP Director General said fortification of Vitamin A in edible oil has been incorporated in the provision of the Act, 2013.
“But we are not getting vitamin A from all edible oils. Even though vitamin A is added to loose oil, it does not contain the required amount of vitamin A at consumer level due to its processing.”
In case of low-income people, he said, the use of packaged oil may increase slightly, but loose soybean oil should be avoided considering the health risks. Also cost-effective small pet bottles, pouch packs and mini packs can be produced, he said.
The Ministry of Industries issued a circular on June 2, 2022 asking the mill owners to stop the marketing of loose soybean oil from July 31, 2022 and loose palm oil from December 31, 2022.
At the discussion meeting, the representative of S Alam Group said, “Our packing capacity is not as per the demand. So, it is difficult for us to go to 100 per cent packing.”
The representative of Meghna Group said, “We agree on the ban on loose edible oil marketing, but considering our capacity, the authority should give us more time to implement it 100 per cent.”
The representative of TK Group said, "We agree on stopping the sale of loose oil, but it will be difficult to stop selling loose soybean oil as sale of palm oil continues."
The representative of Bangladesh Edible Oil said that they do not market any loose oil. In terms of packing, the cost will be reduced if pouch packs are prepared, he added.
