Hyderabad: 36 Tonnes Of Adulterated Ghee, Material Seized By H-FAST
The adulterated products were packed in transparent covers and falsely marketed under names such as 100 per cent pure ghee, premium ghee, farm fresh ghee and natural ghee.
HYDERABAD: The police seized 36 tonnes of adulterated ghee and its ingredients following simultaneous inspections on 130 establishments — 39 ghee manufacturing units and 91 ghee‑selling outlets. The adulterated products were packed in transparent covers and falsely marketed under names such as “100% Pure Ghee”, “Premium Ghee”, “Farm Fresh Ghee” and “Natural Ghee”, city police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar said.
Of the seized material were 25.5 tonnes of adulterated ghee, 8.7 tonnes of cream and 1,200 litres of palm oil along with starch and flavours. The Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H‑FAST) of the commissioner’s task force carried out what Sajjanar called “massive, synchronised special enforcement drive” against illicit ghee manufacturing and commercial units, along with the food safety department.
This was among the biggest hauls of adulterated foods by the police, and comes on the heels of discovery of 26 tonnes of adulterated spices last week.
During the inspections, teams unearthed large‑scale adulteration operations where spurious, substandard ingredients and hazardous, unauthorised chemical substances were systematically mixed to produce synthetic ghee using adulterated milk cream. The milk cream was procured from suppliers in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Sajjanar said.
Investigators found the accused were also involved in misbranding and violation of labelling requirements. These packs did not carry mandatory details such as batch or lot number, FSSAI licence details, Certificate of Analysis, date of manufacture or expiry.
In the drive, enforcement teams seized 36 tonnes of adulterated ghee, raw processing materials and dangerous chemical additives. Food safety inspectors collected statutory samples for laboratory analysis. The seized stock and materials were handed over to Food Safety Authorities for legal action.
“We registered cases for deliberately, with criminal intent, manufacturing and selling adulterated food, and selling food with noxious intent under Sections 274 and 275 of the BNS Act. The seized samples have been sent to FSL for examination. Following the reports, cases will be altered and stern action taken against the establishments involved. If required, we will seal the units as per law,” Sajjanar warned.
He urged citizens to inform the nearest police station or dial 112 about any establishments or individuals involved in adulteration, assuring that callers would be suitably rewarded and their identity kept confidential.
What was seized
Adulterated ghee: 25.tonnes
Cream: 8.7 tonnes
Palm oil: 1,200 litres,
Vanaspati: 600 litres
Artificial fhee flavours: 6 bottles of 3 varieties
Starch: 30 kgs total
How they did it
Non-milk ingredients mixed with palm oil, vanaspati
Artificial ghee flavour added to imitate taste,
Skimmed milk powder (0% milk fat), starch blended into mixture
Adulteration levels: up to 40 per cent.
Branded as ‘100% Pure Ghee’, ‘Premium Ghee’, ‘Farm Fresh Ghee’ and ‘Natural Ghee’.
Products dispatched for sale in a range of outlets.
