Insights into oil

"Only brands that conform to all our chemical tests are considered for ‘best buy.’ Godrej (refined sunflower oil) is our ‘best buy’ with a high score and reasonable price,” states Insight, The Consumer Magazine, in its issue of November-December 2001. In its "test report” on different varieties (groundnut, coconut, mustard, sesame, etc) of cooking oil, Insight placed Godrej and Sweekar (manufactured by Marico Industries who also manufacture Saffola and Parachute oil) in joint first place in the sunflower oil segment. Other heavyweights of the cooking oil industry like Hindustan Lever (Flora), ITC Agro Tech Limited (Sundrop and Crystal) and National Dairy Development Board (Dhara Health) featured in the analysis.

"Although Sundrop scored 74 (against Godrej’s 72), we did not consider it for the best buy because it did not conform to the test for flash point,” said the magazine. Of the 11 sunflower brands tested, all but two "weighed less than the weight printed on their labels. But not a single pack of Godrej... weighed below (the) labelled weight. In fact, Godrej gave an average of 23.2 grams more in each pack tested and scored the highest in weight.”

Godrej, however, with 0.1 ppm (parts per million) of lead, barely cleared the Codex (international) level of measurement of this heavy metal which accumulates in the body. Some brands, including Cooklite also made by Godrej Foods, showed even higher levels of lead, others did not show lead above the detectable levels or sailed through this test.

"The only oils which did not make any cholesterol claims were Godrej (refined sunflower oil) and Sweekar. According to the amendment to the PFA (Prevention of Food Adulteration) Act, manufacturers should not make such claims about their oils,” said the magazine. Terms like micro-refined, super refined, double refined, etc are meaningless as oil can be ‘refined’ and nothing more, it added.

"With increasing health consciousness, more and more families are moving from the traditional saturated and MUFA (monoun­satu­rated fatty acids) oils to the safer PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) oils like sunflower oil,” which is now believed to be almost 58 percent of the refined oil market, the periodical said. "But do not use PUFA oils like sunflower for deep frying your food. They tend to oxidize faster... we found that rancidity was a problem with sunflower oils... The high PUFA content of sunflower oil reduces bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein). But since it reduces good cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein) too, alternate it with a higher MUFA oil like groundnut or mustard,” advised the consumer magazine and check the ‘best before’ date (now made compulsory by the PFA Act) before you buy.

While some manufacturers have disputed certain results of the test report, Insight states that it stands by its test findings.