Some Indian parliamentarians, while debating food safety during this year’s monsoon session, made palm oil the chief villain of their story. They say multinationals use ‘cheap palm oil’ in their products for Indian families while using ‘high-quality’ oil abroad. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare allayed these fears and asserted that palm oil is an approved edible oil under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and meets internationally accepted Codex standards.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has not issued any instructions for consumers to avoid it. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) view palm oil as an acceptable and practical dietary fat. And Europeans are happily consuming palm oil in their chocolate spread, biscuits, chocolates, ice cream, and instant noodles.
