6,500 litres of adulterated ghee, raw material seized during raids in Delhi, Haryana
New Delhi, June 18
In a major crackdown on a food adulteration network, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India seized more than 6,500 litres of adulterated ghee and related raw materials during a series of enforcement operations across Delhi and Haryana.
The FSSAI inspectors raided and busted two 'desi ghee' manufacturing units -- one in Delhi's Dwarka and another in Haryana's Sonipat -- recovering more than 2,500 and 4,000 litres of spurious ghee from the two locations, respectively. The entire stock of ghee was ready for market distribution and was busted in the nick of time by the officials.
The FSSAI officials worked in close coordination with local police authorities and Central Food Safety officers to dismantle the inter-state supply chain, involved in the manufacture and distribution of the suspected counterfeit ghee.
In Delhi, FSSAI officials uncovered mass-scale adulteration during its raids at a clandestine facility in Dwarka's Dhulsiras village. An estimated 1,020 litres of unidentified oil, suspected to be used as raw material in the production of counterfeit ghee and 1,500 litres of suspected adulterated ghee were located and seized.
In Haryana, the food officials came across an even bigger illegal facility involved in making counterfeit ghee. More than 4,000 litres of suspected adulterated ghee packaged for market distribution were seized from M/S Bala Ji Food Products, Plot No. 29A, Sector 53, Phase V in Sonipat.
All seized materials were secured under the regulatory custody of the Food Business Operators (FBOs), and an FIR was registered against the miscreants for required legal action.
How the spurious ghee network was busted
The investigation into large-scale illegal ghee manufacturing began after the FSSAI identified digital and print advertisements promoting premium cow ghee and regular ghee. The company advertisements, however, lacked mandatory FSSAI licence details and labelling information, prompting the officials to smell a rat and initiate a probe.
The CFSOs initiated a decoy operation, posing as consumers to contact the seller through the advertised mobile number and procure samples of the products.
The collected samples were sent under a prescribed chain of custody to the NABL-accredited laboratory for detailed analysis. The findings revealed that the samples did not conform to the standards prescribed for ghee and contained a mixture of vegetable oils and other non-dairy constituents.
Based on the findings, the FSSAI intelligence teams mapped the illicit network engaged in manufacturing, storage and distribution of adulterated ghee. A coordinated operation was conducted on Wednesday at multiple locations across Delhi and Haryana, thereby resulting in recovery of more than 6,500 litres of spurious ghee and associated raw materials.
— IANS
Reader Comments
My grandmother always said to buy ghee from trusted local sources, not from fancy ads. This is why. The fact that they were using vegetable oils and passing it off as pure desi ghee is pure cheating. We pay premium prices for purity and get fake stuff. 😠
Good job FSSAI! But this is just the tip of the iceberg. The food adulteration mafia operates across India - from milk to spices to sweets. We need more such decoy operations and stricter enforcement. These criminals should face jail time, not just fines.
I appreciate the action, but I'm left wondering - how long was this going on before they were caught? And how many other such units are operating under our noses? The FSSAI needs to be more proactive, not just reactive after complaints. We deserve safe food. 🙏
As someone who buys ghee regularly for my family, this is terrifying. The decoy operation was smart though - posing as customers and testing samples. But I hope the authorities also trace the supply chain - who supplied the raw materials and where this fake ghee was headed.
This is why I've started making ghee at home from local milk. It's time-consuming but at least I know what's going into my food. The government needs to make food adulteration a non-bailable offense - these people are playing with our health! 😤
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