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Laws of Malta

Edible Fats and Oils Regulations

Made 1978-05-01 · Text as of 2026-10-01

Public law and official guidance, published as research. Not legal, tax or financial advice.

About this law

Language
English
Kind
Regulation
Organisation
European Union
Country
Malta
Subjects
Food and nutrition
Keywords
food safety and quality, oils/oilseeds/fats, standards, internal trade, international trade, agricultural commodities
Categories
*, agriculture, softs

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Text

The law's own text, section by section, as held. Each section has its own link.

  1. EDIBLE FATS AND OILS [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.1. The title of these Regulations is Edible Fats and Oils Regulations. Interpretation. 2. In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise 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 ed ib l e f a t o r o i l , and con fo rms in a l l r e spec t s w i th t he se 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 f o u n d b y t h e c o m p e t e n t a u t h o r i t y t o b e u n f i t f o r h u m a n 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 [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 [S.L.231.15 3 SCHEDULES SCHEDULE A First Column Second Column Antioxidants Maximum level of use P r o p y l , o c t y l a n d d o d e c y l gallates 100 mg per Kg individually or in combination B u t y l a t e d h y d r o x y t o l u e n e (BHT) } 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 N a t u r a l a n d s y n t h e t i c tocopheroles Not limited Ascobyl palmitate } 500 mg per Kg individually orin 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 } 100 mg per Kg individually orin 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

Edible Fats and Oils Regulations · Nelum