Hyderabad Police Seize 36 Tonnes of Synthetic Ghee
A joint task force in Hyderabad uncovered industrial-scale production of synthetic ghee, according to City Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar. The seized inventory comprised 25.5 tonnes of finished adulterated ghee, 8.7 tonnes of substandard cream and 1,200 litres of palm oil. Officers also found 600 litres of vanaspati and several chemical flavour variants.
The manufacturers did not use the traditional process of churning and clarifying cream. Instead, investigators found mixtures based on refined palm oil, palmolein, hydrogenated vegetable oil, skimmed milk powder, industrial starch and synthetic flavouring essences. The flavourings were formulated to imitate the aroma of dairy ghee, while the mixtures were designed to reproduce its granular texture, known as danedaar, and its appearance.
Investigators traced the raw-material supply chain across several Indian states. Low-grade milk cream was sourced from suppliers in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The level of adulteration varied between 10% and 40%, while some confiscated batches contained no genuine dairy fat.
The resulting low-cost fat was packed in transparent pouches and jars. Labels used on the products included “100% Pure Desi Ghee”, “Farm Fresh Ghee” and “Premium Natural Ghee”. The packaging did not carry mandatory statutory information, including FSSAI licence numbers, batch codes, or manufacturing and expiry dates.
According to the investigation, the products entered commercial food channels in Telangana and neighbouring states. Identified users included restaurants, tiffin centres, sweet shops, industrial bakeries, event caterers and Ayurvedic formulation centres.
Public-health officials warned that regular consumption of hydrogenated vegetable fats, industrial palm derivatives and unapproved chemical flavourings carries metabolic and cardiovascular risks. They cited possible increases in arterial plaque, hepatic strain and chronic digestive disorders.
