The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has taken strict enforcement action against two food businesses, suspending the licence of Marche Retail Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, for 30 days and prohibiting Daman-based SDP Industries Pvt Ltd from selling all variants of its ghee products over serious food-safety and compliance concerns.
In the case of SDP Industries, an enforcement inspection and sampling conducted on 19 May 2026 found multiple ghee products non-compliant with applicable requirements. Laboratory analysis detected β-sitosterol (beta-sitosterol)—a plant sterol that is required to be absent in ghee—along with non-conformity in the fatty-acid composition, findings that indicated the presence of foreign/vegetable fats and raised adulteration concerns.
The prohibition applies to all variants of ghee manufactured, stored or sold from SDP Industries’ authorised premises, including products marketed under brands such as “SHRADDHA”, “SHREE SARAS” and “GOKUL”. FSSAI has directed the company to immediately stop sales and ensure the prohibited products are not placed on the market or sold to consumers until further orders.
FSSAI said the findings reflected repeated and continuing non-compliance across multiple samples, periods and product variants, meaning the issue was not considered reasonably confined to a particular batch or product. The regulatory action therefore extends across the company’s ghee variants rather than being limited to one identified batch.
Separately, FSSAI suspended the food licence of Marche Retail Pvt Ltd, New Delhi, after inspections identified deficiencies relating to premises design, operational controls, sanitation, personal hygiene, food-handler training and mandatory record-keeping. The regulator also noted that mandatory medical records of food handlers were unavailable and prescribed food-safety and hygiene documentation was inadequately maintained.
A follow-up inspection at Marche Retail resulted in an overall compliance score of only 37%, placing the establishment in the non-compliance category. FSSAI directed the retailer to immediately cease and desist from all food-business activities until the identified deficiencies are rectified and compliance is verified by the competent authority.
The action comes amid a wider FSSAI enforcement drive. The regulator recently said it had issued more than 150 notices to food companies over misleading advertisements, false claims and labelling non-compliances, while enforcement actions have also been taken against food-service businesses and e-commerce operators.
For the dairy industry, the development reinforces a critical message: ghee authenticity cannot depend on branding alone—laboratory verification, traceability and regulatory compliance remain essential safeguards. The detection of beta-sitosterol and abnormal fatty-acid composition also highlights the importance of analytical testing for identifying possible vegetable-fat adulteration in ghee. (Press Information Bureau)
Source: Dairynews7x7 24 Aug, 2026 Read full story here
#GheeAdulteration #FoodSafety #DairyIndustry #GheeQuality #DairyTesting #FSSAI #DairyNews7x7