Center Brings Back Edible Oil Standard Pack Sizes, Eliminates Odd Size Packs | Today’s news
NEW DELHI: The Center has mandated standard pack sizes for major edible oils and given manufacturers, packers and importers three months to comply, curbing the proliferation of odd-sized packs that industry and consumer groups say have made price comparisons difficult and confused buyers.
In a notification issued late on Friday, the Department of Consumer Affairs (DoCA) amended the Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) governing the determination of net quantity and standard pack sizes for edible oils and fats under legal metrology.
Under the revised rules, standard pack sizes have been prescribed for major edible oils, including palm oil, palm olein, soybean oil, sunflower oil, mustard/rapeseed oil, groundnut oil, sesame oil, rice bran oil, cottonseed oil, corn oil and their blends.
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Approved pack sizes are 200 grams, 500 grams, 1 kg, 2 kg, 3 kg, 4 kg, 5 kg, 15 kg and 20 kg. In terms of volume, the corresponding sizes will be 200 ml, 500 ml, 1 liter, 2 liters, 3 liters, 4 liters, 5 liters, 15 liters and 20 liters. Packages up to 200 grams or 200 ml will remain unlimited.
As a result, non-standard packages such as 650 grams, 700 grams, 810 grams, 850 grams and 870 grams will be phased out within three months.
The revised SoP follows a stakeholder meeting chaired by Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on May 20, where leading edible oil industry bodies reached a consensus to restore standard pack sizes to improve market transparency and consumer awareness.
Mint reported on May 22, 2025 on the government’s plan to restore standard package sizes for edible oil.
Industry representatives and consumer rights groups welcomed the move, saying it would address concerns over the proliferation of unconventional packaging formats after package size standards are relaxed in 2023.
According to Sudhakar Desai, president of Indian Vegetable Oil Producers Association (IVPA), de-standardization was done to give freedom to the industry. However, this practice disrupted the market for more than three years, leading to the proliferation of such packaging and creating widespread confusion in the market.
“This move will restore structural sanity on retail shelves and level the playing field,” said Desai, who was present at the meeting chaired by Khare.
“Standardizing edible oil pack sizes is a positive step for consumers as it makes it easier for shoppers to compare prices and understand the true value of the product they are buying. The proliferation of odd pack sizes has made it difficult to compare prices and often led to confusion at the retail level,” said Ashim Sanyal, CEO of Consumer Voice.
The advice states that minor edible oils, which are not listed as major oils, will remain exempt from the standard pack size requirement, although they must comply with the existing provisions relating to the declaration of the unit selling price under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011.
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Edible oil is among India’s most important food commodities, with the country heavily dependent on imports to meet domestic demand. Consumption has increased from 24.6 million tonnes in 2020-21 to 28.9 million tonnes in 2022-23. Meanwhile, edible oil imports rose 3% to 16.65 million tonnes in 2025-26, according to data from the Solvent Extractors Association of India.
The NITI Aayog report 2024 showed that India’s per capita consumption of edible oil has almost doubled over the past two decades to around 19.7 kg per year. Estimated at $4.39 billion in 2024, the country’s edible oil market is expected to grow to $6.49 billion by 2030, according to TechSci Research.
