AWL clarifies on FSSAI penalty order, says certified copy yet to be received

New Delhi: AWL Agri Business on Saturday issued a clarification regarding the FSSAI action involving a sample of Fortune Fryola sunflower oil, stating that it had yet to receive a certified copy of the adjudication order. According to a filing with BSE and NSE, AWL Agri Business said that it had learnt through media reports and social media posts about a penalty. The clarification, filed with the BSE and NSE on August 8, came after reports of FSSAI adjudication proceedings involving Fortune Fryola, which AWL described as a niche variant of Fortune Sunflower Oil. AWL said it was yet to receive the certified adjudication order and was therefore responding based on information currently available to it. “The Company has not yet received a certified copy of the adjudication order. Based on the information available to the Company, the matter relates to declared levels of Vitamins A and D in that specific sample and does not relate to the safety of the product,” AWL said. The company also said added vitamins were sensitive to storage conditions, light and time. AWL said its sourcing, manufacturing, refining, packaging and quality-control processes followed applicable food safety requirements. It said it would examine the adjudication order once it received a copy and consider appropriate legal remedies. The company also said the matter did not materially affect its financial position or business operations. The clarification followed an adjudication proceeding against AWL Agri Business, formerly Adani Wilmar, over a batch of Fortune Fryola Refined Sunflower Seed Oil that food safety authorities classified as substandard after laboratory testing. According to FSSAI, a one-litre sample collected from Taj Fort Aguada Resort & Spa in Goa was tested at a primary food laboratory. The analysis found that the levels of Vitamins A and D were below the standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations, 2018. The marketer subsequently challenged the findings, and the sample was sent to a referral laboratory. According to FSSAI, the referral analysis continued to show Vitamin D at a level significantly below the prescribed range. The Central Licensing Authority later granted sanction for prosecution and an adjudication application was filed. The adjudicating officer in Goa subsequently imposed a penalty under the Food Safety and Standards Act. FSSAI did not disclose the amount of the penalty. AWL had earlier maintained that the proceeding related to fortification levels detected in a single sample and not to whether the oil was safe for consumption. The company also argued that added vitamins were sensitive to factors including storage, light and time. In its stock exchange clarification, AWL said it would continue making disclosures required under SEBI's Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements Regulations and applicable stock exchange rules.