FSA update: Oil substitutions and product labelling

Further update to guidance on vegetable oil substitutions and product labelling

Due to issues with the supply of oils for food products, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is advising businesses and consumers that refined or fully refined food grade vegetable oils may replace sunflower oil in certain products without this being reflected on labelling.

Temporary approach to inaccurate labelling

This temporary approach to inaccurate labelling only applies in the case of substituting sunflower oil with five oils:

• refined rapeseed oil
• fully refined palm oil
• fully refined coconut oil
• fully refined soyabean oil
• fully refined corn (maize) oil

It also only applies to products like crisps, breaded fish, frozen vegetables and chips where sunflower oil is used as an ingredient and not to whole bottles of sunflower oil.

Any inaccuracies in labelling must only be temporary.

Where substitute oils are used, the FSA will expect food businesses to:

• make consumers aware of substitutions that are not reflected on the label, such as through point-of-sale notices and information on their websites
• prepare and print accurate labels as soon as possible so that consumers can be confident in the food they buy

The FSA has published a rapid risk assessment report underpinning this approach, suggesting that the risk of adverse reactions to the substitute oils is very low or negligible.

Oils other than the five listed above can be used as substitutes for sunflower oil in products, but labelling inaccuracies are not permitted so their presence must be reflected on labelling.

Read the full FSA update on oil substitutions and product labelling.

First published 3 May 2022