BackVanaspati, cooking oil in market unfit for consumption: study
Vanaspati, cooking oil in market unfit for consumption: study
PremiumNew Delhi: A study on vanaspati and cooking oil brands available in the market has claimed that most oil brands and almost all vanaspati brands are unfit for consumption owing to high trans fatty acid contents.
The study released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had tested 30 available brands in the market, including desi ghee and butter at its Delhi-based laboratory and arrived at the conclusions after conducting gas chromatography and other tests.
Reacting to the report, the, government said it will ensure correct labelling on products to create awareness among the people, but ruled out any immediate ban on trans-fats.
“Through the tests, we had sought to find out the fatty acid profile of each brand and the injurious trans- fat content in them," associate director of CSE, Chandra Bhushan said during a press briefing here. According to the study, most brands resort to deceptive labelling of trans-fat content and are unable to substantiate health benefits as claimed in their advertisements.
Trans fatty acids are said to increase heart risks as they reduce the content of good cholesterol and increase the risk of infertility in women, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.
The tests recorded that trans fatty acid content in all vanaspati brands in the country are five to 12 times higher than the prescribed trans-fat standard for edible oil set in Denmark at 2% of the total oil. Lowest amount of this was found in desi ghee and Amul butter at 5.3% and 3.7% respectively. Mustard oil brands indicated trans-fat content within 1%.
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