The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), through the Designated Officer (Central Licensing Authority), has prohibited with immediate effect the sale of all variants of ghee, including but not limited to brands like "SHRADDHA", "SHREE SARAS", "GOKUL" etc. manufactured, stored or sold by M/s SDP Industries Private Limited, Ringanwada, Daman, from its authorised premises, until further orders.

The action follows enforcement inspection and sampling conducted on 19 May 2026, during which multiple ghee samples manufactured by the Food Business Operator were found non-compliant. Laboratory analysis detected β-sitosterol, a plant sterol that is required to be absent in ghee, along with non-conformity in fatty-acid composition. The findings are indicative of the presence of foreign/vegetable fats and raise serious food-safety concerns.

Importantly, the present action is not based on an isolated instance. The FBO has a documented history of repeated non-compliance in ghee products. Earlier enforcement and surveillance samples, including samples drawn during 2024 and January 2026, had also revealed non-conformity in critical parameters including β-sitosterol, fatty-acid profile, B.R. reading, R.M. value, saponification value and Polenske value.

The FBO had also faced previous adjudication proceedings relating to non-compliant ghee. An adjudication order dated 18 August 2023 resulted in a penalty in a sub-standard ghee case. Subsequently, despite the earlier adverse finding, a further offence under Section 64 of the FSS Act was proceeded against, and fine was also imposed on 14 October 2025.

In the present matter, the FBO exercised its statutory right to appeal against the initial laboratory findings. The appealed samples were accordingly sent to the Referral Food Laboratory, for re-analysis. The referral laboratory reports received in August 2026 confirmed non-conformity in the tested samples, thereby strengthening the basis for regulatory action.

Considering the repeated and continuing nature of non-compliance across multiple samples, periods and variants, the Designated Officer found that the issue could not reasonably be confined to a particular batch or product. Accordingly, the prohibition covers all variants of ghee manufactured, stored or sold by the FBO from its authorised premises, irrespective of brand, product name, type, batch or lot.

The action has been taken under Section 36(3)(b) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, read with the applicable provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Rules and Regulations, as a preventive measure in the paramount interest of public health and consumer safety.

The food safety authority has directed that the prohibited ghee products shall not be sold or placed in the market with immediate effect and until further orders.

Key point: The regulatory action reflects a pattern of repeated non-compliance, supported by successive enforcement/surveillance findings, previous adjudication proceedings and the latest primary as well as referral laboratory results.

(रिलीज़ आईडी: 2301960) आगंतुक पटल : 150