Impure ghee runs rampant in Gujarat, 34,000 kg seized in just over a month
Updated: Nov 30th, 2023
Impure and adulterated food products continue to plague Gujarat, and for the feathers to ruffle enough to bring a change, Ambaji prasad row served as a wake-up call. Since the adulterated ghee in the temple prasad was found, the state has been vigilant about the issue.
In just one and a half months, the food and drug department seized 34,000 kg of adulterated ghee (clarified butter), sold under the guise of well-established brands with packaging and brand name resemblance.
Incentive to adulterate
A mixture of soybean and vanaspati ghee makes up for the adulterated ghee. It is then packed up in the same containers as some of the well-known brands, and the labels of them also share an uncanny resemblance to trusted brands.
All of this is done to get profits by selling the adulterated ghee to the general population, especially during the festivals when the demand for ghee is high.
Department on its toes
In the last one and a half months, a total of 34,000 kg of such adulterated ghee was seized by the authorities in Gujarat, amounting to around ₹90 lakh.
The food and drug department had collected 624 samples across the state around Diwali, and apart from the large amount of seizure, some samples still await verdict from the government labs.
A game of cat and mouse
Since the packaging and labelling are almost impossible to tell apart, the only way to catch the adulteration is to dig deeper into the labels to find out the batch numbers of the package, to see where the ghee comes from, and other manufacturing details.
According to Dr HG Koshia, food and drug commissioner of the state, “The mixture of soybean and vanaspati ghee also contains a chemical that makes it tough for even the latest machines to catch the adulteration.”
“If the samples are found to be sub-standard, a fine of ₹5-10 lakh is imposed and legal steps would be taken against the perpetrator, too,” Koshia added.
