DD Correspondent
Srinagar: The Food and Drug Administration of Jammu and Kashmir has banned the sale, storage, display, and distribution of specific batches of four major ghee brands in the Union Territory with immediate effect. According to an official order issued by Food Safety Commissioner Khalid Jahangir, this move follows laboratory tests revealing that these ghee samples failed to meet quality standards, were sub-standard, and were found to be unsafe.
Food safety officials had collected samples from the Anantnag, Jammu, Kathua, Samba, and Pulwama districts and sent them for testing to the National Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad and the Food Testing Laboratory in Srinagar. The test reports revealed the presence of beta-sitosterol, vegetable fat, and foreign fats, indicating non-compliance with food safety standards.The banned brands include ‘Cow Ghee Milk Bite’ (Batch No. 143) manufactured by Mahadev Industries, Rajasthan; ‘Pahalwan’ (Batch No. PW-005) manufactured by Comfy Agro Pvt. Ltd., Punjab; ‘Swift’ (Batch No. M-92) manufactured by Suneja Food Products, Haryana; and ‘Sanghat’ (Batch No. AD-05) manufactured by Akshar Dairy Products, Gujarat. The order states that adulteration was detected in these specific batches, and they have been declared unsafe and sub-standard.
The administration has directed all food business operators, manufacturers, wholesalers, and retailers to immediately halt the sale and distribution of these affected batches. The concerned businesses have been ordered to keep the affected stock in safe custody and submit full details of the stock in their possession to the relevant authorities within 48 hours.
Strict legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, will be taken against any individual or entity found violating this order. Officials have also been instructed to keep a close watch on the entire supply chain and take immediate action if any violations are found.