EDIBLE FATS AND OILS ġ S.L.231.15 1
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 231.15
EDIBLE FATS AND OILS REGULATIONS
1st May, 1978
LEGAL NOTICE 42 of 1977, as amended by Legal Notice 61 of 1978.
Title .
Regulations. 
Interpretation. 
requires- 
"edible fats and oils" means food composed of glycerides of fatty
acids of vegetable, animal or marine origin, irrespective of whether
the said food contains small amounts of - 
( a ) other lipids including phosphatides; 
( b ) unsaponifiable constituents, or 
( c ) free fatty acids naturally present in the said food, 
but does not include butter or margarine; 
"food" means food for human consumption; 
"to sell" includes to offer, expose, advertise or keep for sale and
to supply by way of compensation or otherwise; 
"virgin fats and oils" means edible fats and oils obtained by
mechanical procedures and/or the application of heat only, and
which may have been purified by washing, settling, filtering and/or
centrifuging only. 
Use, importation 
and sale of fats and 
oils.
Amended by:
L.N. 61 of 1978.
3. (1) No person may, in the manufacture or preparation of
any food for sale, use any fat or oil unless such fat or oil is an
edible fat or oil, and conforms in all respects with these
Regulations, or is butter or margarine. 
(2) No person may sell any food manufactured or prepared in
contravention of sub-regulation (1).
(3) No person may import or sell any food which does not
conform with these Regulations. 
Edible fat or oil 
obtained from 
slaughtered 
animals.
4. (1) No person may import, manufacture or prepare any
edible fat or oil obtained from any slaughtered animal which was
found by the competent authority to be unfit for human
consumption. 
(2) No person may import any lard, dripping, edible tallow or
similar rendered animal fats unless each consignment thereof is
accompanied by a document or documents to the satisfaction of the
Superintendent of Public Health showing in particular - 
( a ) that the content of the consignment to which the
document or documents relate was derived from
animals which were inspected in the country of origin
before and after death and were found free of disease
at the time of slaughter; and
2 ġ S.L.231.15 EDIBLE FATS AND OILS
( b ) that the preparation, processing, packing and labelling
of such content was carried out with such precautions
and with such materials and equipment and in such a
manner as to preclude any danger to health. 
Edible fat or oil 
which may not be 
sold, etc.
5. No person may sell, or use in the manufacture or
preparation of any food for sale, any edible fats or oils which -
( a ) has a rancid odour or taste; 
( b ) contains any foreign matter other than such as are
listed in Schedule A, B or C to these Regulations, and
in conformity thereto; 
S.L 231.31
( c ) contains any colouring matter which does not conform
with the Use of Colours in Foodstuffs Regulations; 
( d ) has an acid value of more than 4mg KOH per gr fat or
oil in the case of virgin fats or oils, and 0.6 mg KOH
per gr fat or oil in the case of other edible fats or oils; 
( e ) has a peroxide value of more than 10 milliequivalents
of peroxide oxygen per Kg fat or oil; 
( f ) contains a combination of more than 2% by weight of
lipids (other than glycerides), unsaponifiable
constituents or free fatty acids naturally present in the
fat or oil, or a combination thereof; or 
( g ) has been subjected to a process which leads to alter-
nation in the glyceridic structure originally present in
it. 
Analysis and 
sampling.
6. The methods of analysis and sampling shall be in
accordance with the current edition of the Methods of Analysis of
Oils and Fats of the British Standards Institution. 
EDIBLE FATS AND OILS ġ S.L.231.15 3
SCHEDULES
SCHEDULE A 
First Column  Second Column 
Antioxidants Maximum level of use
Propyl, octyl and dodecyl
gallates
100 mg per Kg individually or
in combination 
Butylated hydroxy toluene
(BHT) Ħ 200 mg per Kg individually orin combination
Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA)
Any combination of gallates with
BHA or BHT, or both
200 mg per Kg, but gallates not
to exceed 100 mg per Kg
Natural and synthetic
tocopheroles Not limited 
Ascobyl palmitate  Ħ 500 mg per Kg individually or
in combinationAscorbyl stearate
Dilauryl thiodipropionate 200 mg per Kg 
SCHEDULE B 
First Column  Second Column 
Antioxidant Synergist Maximum level of use
Citric acid and its sodium salt  Not limited
Isopropyl citrate mixture  Ħ 100 mg per Kg individually or
in combination Phosphoric acid
SCHEDULE C
First Column  Second Column 
Contaminants Maximum level 
Matter volatile at 105°C  0.2% mass in mass
Insoluble impurities 0.05% mass in mass
Soap Content  0.005% mass in mass
Iron (Fe) (Virgin oil) 5 mg per Kg
(Non virgin oil) 1.5 mg per Kg 
Copper (Cu) (Virgin Oil)  0.4 mg per Kg 
 (Non virgin oil)  0.1 mg per Kg 
Lead (Pb)  0.1 mg per Kg 
Arsenic (As) 0.1 mg per Kg
