Hyderabad Police Seize 25.5 Tonnes of Adulterated Ghee in City-Wide Crackdown

The Hyderabad City Police on Tuesday said they had seized 36 tonnes of adulterated ghee and raw materials during a coordinated enforcement drive covering 130 establishments across the city. The operation was conducted by the Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST) along with the Food Safety Department.

According to Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar, the teams inspected 39 manufacturing units and 91 ghee-selling outlets based on intelligence inputs and public complaints. Some manufacturers allegedly produced synthetic ghee by mixing cheaper ingredients like palm oil and vanaspathi with artificial flavours to mimic the taste, aroma and appearance of genuine ghee.

The seized material included 25.5 tonnes of adulterated ghee, 8.7 tonnes of cream, 1,200 litres of palm oil, 600 litres of vanaspathi, 30 kg of starch and six bottles of artificial ghee flavours. Food safety officials collected statutory samples from the premises for laboratory analysis. The seized materials were handed over to the Food Safety Department for further legal action.

Mr. Sajjanar said the alleged adulteration ranged from 10% to 40%, with products being supplied to different end-users depending on the level of adulteration. These products were allegedly supplied as deepam/pooja ghee, and to restaurants, tiffin centres, sweet manufacturers, bakeries, caterers and Ayurvedic shops. The police also said the adulterated ghee was supplied to dairy shops and hotels, including star hotels.

Several products were allegedly packed in transparent covers and marketed under labels such as “100% Pure Ghee”, “Premium Ghee”, “Farm Fresh Ghee” and “Natural Ghee”. The packets did not carry mandatory details such as batch or lot numbers, FSSAI licence information, certificate of analysis, and dates of manufacture, packing and expiry.

The alleged operation also had an inter-State procurement chain. The cream used in the manufacturing process was reportedly sourced from suppliers in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The police said manufacturers were able to produce the adulterated product at a much lower cost by replacing genuine milk fat with cheaper ingredients and then selling it as original ghee at a higher price. The products were allegedly distributed across Telangana and neighbouring States.

Highlighting the health concerns, the police said prolonged consumption of products containing excessive trans-fats could contribute to increased LDL cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. Officials also flagged possible digestive, liver, kidney, skin and metabolic problems associated with certain additives.

The police, however, said samples collected during the operation would undergo laboratory analysis, which would establish the exact composition and confirm the adulteration. Mr. Sajjanar urged citizens to remain vigilant and report suspected cases of food adulteration to enable timely enforcement action.