Hyderabad: Food Safety officials, in coordination with the Hyderabad City Police, seized 850 kg of suspected adulterated ghee and cream during a special enforcement drive in Hyderabad. Officials also destroyed 60 kg of highly contaminated ghee that was found to be unfit for human consumption.
The joint inspections were carried out at 14 ghee manufacturing and sales units in the city’s Cure area as part of an ongoing crackdown on food adulteration.
During the inspections, officials collected 15 samples for laboratory analysis and seized the suspected adulterated stock. They said strict legal action would be initiated against those responsible after the laboratory reports are received.
The Hyderabad inspections formed the second phase of a statewide enforcement drive. In the first phase, Food Safety teams inspected 65 business establishments across districts outside Hyderabad and collected 91 ghee and cream samples for testing.
Officials issued notices to five establishments for alleged violations of food safety regulations. Further action will depend on the laboratory findings.
The inspections also revealed that some licensed manufacturers and traders were allegedly adulterating ghee by mixing non milk fats, including vegetable fats such as margarine and palm oil.
Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, pure ghee must contain at least 99.5 percent milk fat, while moisture content should not exceed 0.5 percent. Officials also found that some traders were manufacturing and selling ghee without the required registration or licence.
The Food Safety Department warned that adulterating ghee with vegetable fats is a punishable offence under the Food Safety and Standards Act. (Maxim News)
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