SRINAGAR, September 22: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) of Jammu & Kashmir has prohibited the sale, storage, distribution, and display of specific batches of four different ghee brands across the Union Territory. This action follows laboratory analyses that found collected samples to be either unsafe, substandard, or both.
Information was available with The Chenab Times that the prohibitory order was issued by Khalid Jahangir, Commissioner, Food Safety, J&K, with immediate effect. The order is based on the relevant provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The identified products failed to meet prescribed food safety standards upon analysis.
Samples of various ghee brands were collected by Food Safety Officers from multiple districts including Anantnag, Jammu, Kathua, Samba, and Pulwama. These samples underwent analysis at notified food laboratories, such as the National Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad and the Food Testing Laboratory in Srinagar. The analytical reports revealed the presence of undeclared ingredients like beta-sitosterol, vegetable fat, and foreign fat. Additionally, positive Baudouin test results and deviations from prescribed parameters such as Reichert-Meissl value, Polenske value, saponification value, B.R. reading, iodine value, and fatty-acid profile were detected.
Four specific ghee brands have been placed under prohibition:
Cow Ghee Milk Bite – Desi Ghee
Manufactured by M/s Mahadev Industries, Rajasthan, this product was collected from Jammu. Batch number 143, with a manufacturing date in July 2026 and an April 2027 best-before date, and a net content of 500 ml, was declared substandard. The sale of this batch has been prohibited throughout J&K.
Pehalwan – Desi Ghee
Produced by M/s Comfy Agro Pvt. Ltd., located in Gidderbaha, District Sri Muktsar Sahib, Punjab, this ghee was sampled in Anantnag. Batch number PW-005, manufactured in May 2026 with a nine-month best-before period and a net content of 500 ml, was classified as unsafe by the laboratory analysis. Its sale is now banned across the Union Territory.
Swift – Desi Ghee
Manufactured by M/s Suneja Food Products, situated in SICOP Industrial Estate, Hisar, Haryana, this ghee was also sampled in Anantnag. Batch number M-92, manufactured in April 2026 with an April 2027 best-before date and a net content of 450 ml, was also declared unsafe. The FDA has prohibited the sale of this batch.
Sangath – Desi Ghee
This product, manufactured by M/s Akshar Dairy Product in Santhal, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, was sampled in Anantnag. Batch number AD-05/01, with a manufacturing date in May 2026 and a best-before date in February 2027, and a net content of 200 ml, was classified as both unsafe and substandard. The sale of this batch is now prohibited across J&K.
The FDA has issued directives to all Food Business Operators (FBOs), including manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers, to immediately cease the sale, storage, distribution, and display of these identified batches across Jammu and Kashmir. Concerned operators have been instructed to segregate the affected batches and store them securely. They are prohibited from disposing of, selling, or transferring the stock without explicit approval from the competent Food Safety Authority.
Furthermore, all FBOs are required to submit a complete stock position report of the affected batches, detailing quantities received, sold or distributed, and current availability, to the concerned Designated Officer within 48 hours of the order’s issuance. Designated Officers and Food Safety Officers have been directed to ensure the prompt implementation of this order, conduct necessary verifications, and maintain strict surveillance over the movement, storage, sale, and distribution of the prohibited food articles.
The FDA has warned that any violation of this prohibitory order will render the offenders liable for action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and other applicable laws. The administration has clarified that this action is a precautionary measure taken in the public interest. It also reserves the statutory right for the concerned Food Business Operators to seek re-analysis of the samples through an FSSAI-notified referral laboratory, in accordance with the law.
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