The Ministry of Commerce has issued this directive exercising its authority under sub-section (b) of Section 83 of the Consumer Protection Law (2019 Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Law No. 9).
Instructions for Businesses to follow in labelling trademarks regarding vegetable oil (cooking oil)
1. According to Sub-section (b) Section 1, of the Consumer Protection Law, the provisions on the trademarks in Chapter 18 of this Law came into force on 16 March 2020, the first anniversary of the enactment of the law
2. To make it easy for businesses to comply with the trademark provisions, Myanmar Consumer Protection Commission issued Directive No. 2/2019 dated 3 December, “Instruction for businesses to follow in labelling goods either in Myanmar or in combination with another language”, along with a detailed analysis of the product labels in the Myanmar language for each product group. Of the eight product groups in the detailed analysis of this directive, it has been stated that it is necessary to specify the names, quantity, size, net amount, the storage instruction regarding the various edible oil in the food commodity groups.
3. Some of the edible oils on the market are now being marketed as Vegetable Oil or Cooking Oil. The term “Vegetable Oil, Cooking Oil” is not a product name according to the trademark provisions, but a generic name that is not based on the original ingredients.
4. Therefore, the relevant businesses should specify the types of vegetable oils, cooking oils, distributed in the market to avoid misleading consumers and to satisfy their basic needs.
5. In marking labels on the types of vegetable oil, cooking oil, distributed in the market,
(a) The name of the product based on the original ingredient must be specified in Myanmar. (Example: Vegetable oil (palm oil), or Vegetable oil (advanced palm oil).
(b) The net weight and size of the goods must be expressed in Myanmar Weight Units such as Viss, Kyattha, in the Myanmar Language.
6. This directive will come into force six months after its issuance, and businesses will be prosecuted under Consumer Production Law if they fail to comply with Article 4 of this directive.
Sd/Dr Pwint San
Union Minister
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