FSSAI Busts Interstate Fake Ghee Racket; Over 6,500 Litres of Adulterated Stock Seized in Delhi and Haryana

The action was carried out by the FSSAI Northern Regional Office under the supervision of Director Devesh Kumar Mahla, IPS, in close coordination with local police authorities and Central Food Safety Officers. The crackdown followed the detection of digital and print advertisements promoting premium cow ghee and regular ghee without mandatory FSSAI licence numbers or required labelling details.

Acting on suspicion of large-scale food adulteration, officials initiated a decoy operation in which they posed as customers and procured samples of the products for laboratory testing. The collected samples were sent to an FSSAI-recognised NABL-accredited laboratory, where analysis confirmed that the products did not meet prescribed ghee standards. The findings revealed that the samples contained a mixture of vegetable oils and other non-dairy substances instead of pure dairy-based ghee.

Based on the laboratory results, FSSAI intelligence teams traced the manufacturing, storage, and distribution chain and launched simultaneous enforcement raids on June 17 at multiple locations.

In Delhi, officials raided an illegal manufacturing unit in Dhulsiras village near Dwarka, reportedly linked to Parit Ram. During the operation, approximately 1,020 litres of unidentified oil suspected to be used as raw material for counterfeit ghee were recovered, along with around 1,500 litres of suspected adulterated ghee. The entire stock was seized and placed under regulatory custody.

In Haryana, another raid was conducted at M/S Bala Ji Food Products in Sector 53, Phase V, Sonipat, where officials seized more than 4,000 litres of suspected adulterated ghee already packaged for market distribution.

The FSSAI confirmed that a formal complaint has been lodged with the local police and that a First Information Report has been registered against those involved. Statutory samples have been collected for further examination, while all seized materials remain secured under regulatory custody.

The food regulator stated that stringent legal action will be initiated against all individuals and entities found in violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, reaffirming its zero-tolerance approach toward food adulteration and misbranding.

Authorities have also urged consumers to exercise caution while purchasing food products by verifying FSSAI licence or registration numbers, manufacturer details, proper labelling, packaging integrity, and avoiding unusually low-priced offerings. The regulator further advised reporting suspicious products or adulteration cases through official consumer complaint platforms and mobile applications.

Investigations are ongoing to identify additional entities linked to the counterfeit ghee network, marking a significant escalation in enforcement against food adulteration networks operating across state boundaries.