Ahmedabad: On Thursday, the health department of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) conducted a raid at a bungalow in the Nikol area of the city, where a unit producing counterfeit ghee was discovered. In a room on the first floor of the bungalow, ghee was being manufactured using a mixture of vegetable fat and palm oil. The product was then packaged and marketed as cow ghee.
The address printed on the cow ghee packets corresponded to another manufacturing unit whose license had expired, while the counterfeit ghee was being produced and sold from this site without any valid license. Following the raid, packets of fake ghee were seized, and legal proceedings have been initiated.
Deputy Health Officer Dr. Tejas Shah stated, "The room on the first floor of the residential premises has been sealed." An official from the department elaborated, "The health department received information that fake ghee was being manufactured without authorization on the first floor of a residential bungalow in Royal Bungalows society. Acting on this tip, a team inspected the business unit and detected major discrepancies."
The official further added, "Ghee manufacturing was carried out without obtaining FSSAI registration or license. A mixture of vegetable fat and palm oil was used to make fake and adulterated cow ghee, which was packed under the brand name ‘Mangalmurti’. Moreover, while the ghee was produced and packed at this residential location, it was shown as manufactured and packed in Ved Industry Park 2, Kathwada, Nikol. The address on the packaging differed from the actual production site, and the license of the unit shown had also expired."
The official continued, "500g and 100ml jars found on the premises have been seized, with an estimated market value of around Rs 1.6 lakh. In addition, empty 500g and 100ml jars meant for packing the fake ghee, along with a stock of labels to be pasted on the jars, were confiscated. Packing machinery, gas cylinders, utensils, and tubs were also seized. Samples of Cow Ghee (Mangalmurti) in 500g and 100ml pack jars have been collected and forwarded to the food laboratory for analysis under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006."
