Hyderabad: During a recent statewide special enforcement drive against the manufacture and sale of substandard ghee, the food safety department seized 850 kg of suspected adulterated ghee. The inspections, carried out in coordination with the police, targeted units suspected of mixing cheaper fats such as palm oil and vanaspati with ghee.Food safety commissioner Dr Sangeetha Satyanarayana said the inspections were conducted based on credible inputs that adulterated ghee was being manufactured and sold across the state. In Hyderabad’s Kattedan industrial area, food safety officers inspected 14 establishments, collected 15 ghee samples and destroyed 60 kg of ghee found unfit for human consumption. The 850 kg of suspected adulterated ghee seized during the drive has been kept in custody pending laboratory test results.Across the state, food safety officers inspected 65 establishments, collected 91 ghee samples for analysis and issued notices to five units for violations. Officials also found that some operators were manufacturing and selling ghee without the mandatory licence or registration. “Ghee must contain at least 99.5% milk fat under food safety and standards regulations. Mixing vegetable fats with ghee is prohibited. We have urged consumers to purchase ghee only from licensed outlets and verify the FSSAI licence details before buying,” Dr Satyanarayana added.
