Government Seeks Public Feedback on Draft Law to Regulate Vegetable Oil Industry

New Delhi, Jul 9 (KNN) The Union Food Ministry has circulated a draft of the 2025 Vegetable Oil Products, Production and Availability (VOPPA) Regulation Order, inviting public feedback until July 11, 2025, to update the existing 2011 regulations.

The key goals include modernising oversight, increasing transparency, and using digital tools for enhanced monitoring of edible‑oil imports, production, inventories, and sales.

Under the new draft, regulatory definitions and scope would be expanded to cover emerging product types and newer processing technologies.

The existing 2011 framework, enabled by older technology and traditional reporting methods, will be upgraded with online registration systems and improved compliance reporting formats.

This overhaul responds to several pressing challenges. India’s reliance on edible‑oil imports, fluctuating prices, and food‑safety concerns have intensified since 2011. Strengthened traceability is seen as critical to consumer protection.

The draft also proposes more stringent surveillance through regular digital tracking and possibly mandatory registration of all vegetable‑oil producers and sellers—steps supporters argue will raise industry transparency. Critics, however, warn this could revive bureaucratic burdens reminiscent of a “license‑raj” era.

Overall, the draft VOPPA Order marks a substantial shift toward real‑time oversight, regulatory clarity, and agility in responding to evolving industry trends.

It seeks a balanced framework combining stakeholder engagement with technological enforcement. The ministry aims to finalise the updated regulations after reviewing feedback, signifying a move toward a more accountable and digitally integrated vegetable‑oil market in India.

(KNN Bureau)