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Amidst the festive season, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) has hit the hardest till date on a huge black business of adulteration running under the guise of faith in the markets of Uttar Pradesh. A complete ban has been imposed with immediate effect on the manufacture, storage and sale of non-edible oil and chemical fat products being sold in the name of ‘Pooja Ghee’ or ‘Ghee for Hawan and Deepak’ in the state. State Food Safety Commissioner Dr. Roshan Jacob has issued strict instructions and made it clear that now the use of the word ‘Ghee’ on any non-edible product will be completely illegal. If any trader, mill owner or brand is found manufacturing, packaging or selling these toxic chemicals in the guise of ‘Pooja Ghee’, his stock will be immediately confiscated and the food license and registration will be suspended and canceled with immediate effect without any delay. This aggressive decision of the government has created a stir among the adulteration syndicates of the entire state including Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Hathras and Gorakhpur.
It was shockingly revealed in the investigation and intelligence reports that in many industrial and manufacturing units of the state, a yellow colored smooth substance was being prepared by mixing vegetable (Dalda), poor refined oil, paraffin wax, industrial mineral oil and strong synthetic fragrance (Essence). Its fragrance, colour, thickness and packaging were kept exactly like real desi ghee. Since its price was half or one-fourth of the pure edible ghee available in the market, people used to buy it on the pretext of worship. But the most dangerous thing was that many poor and unknown consumers in villages and towns started mistakenly considering it to be real edible ghee and started using it for cooking, making sweets or eating it by adding it to pulses. According to doctors and scientists, consuming inedible fats containing paraffin and mineral oil can cause intestinal cancer, liver cirrhosis, kidney failure and permanent damage to the nerves of the digestive system.
Another big and strict point of the new order of FSDA is the prevention of adulteration in food manufacturing units. It was often seen that in the same premises where edible pure ghee and refined oil were packed, traders also stored these chemicals in the name of puja.
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According to the order, now the storage of essence, paraffin, mineral oil or non-edible chemicals used in puja materials is completely banned in any food manufacturing or packaging premises.
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If these inedible chemical substances are found in any factory manufacturing edible oil or ghee, then the department will directly consider it as ‘Adulterant’ i.e. a serious crime of adulteration and the factory will be sealed and a criminal case will be registered against the owner.
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Apart from this, no company or brand will be able to sell its edible ghee and non-edible products made for puja in the market under the same brand name. It is essential that the branding and identity of both be completely different.
To eliminate consumer confusion, strict packaging guidelines have been laid down under the Food Safety and Standards (Labeling and Display) Regulations:
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Complete ban on the word ‘Ghee’: It will be completely prohibited to write ‘Ghee’ or ‘Ghee for puja’ on the packets of any non-edible fat product prepared for puja, havan or lighting lamps. It can be shown only as a non-edible fat or wax based product.
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Black cross mandatory: A clear black cross mark must be printed on the retail packet of the product within a square box of prescribed size.
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Bilingual Alert: on the body of the packet in Hindi ‘Unfit for human consumption’ and in english ‘NOT FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION’ Or ‘Not for eating’ Writing in capital and bold letters has been made mandatory.
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If any shopkeeper in the market is caught selling such a packet without this warning and symbol, then along with imposing heavy financial fine on him, the license of the shop will be canceled with immediate effect.
On the holy festivals of Navratri, Dussehra and the upcoming Diwali, the demand for pure ghee and worship materials increases manifold. In one district alone the demand increases from 50 tonnes to 300 tonnes compared to normal days. Taking advantage of this huge demand, District Magistrates and Food Safety Officers of all 75 districts have been instructed to form intensive investigation teams to destroy the gangs involved in selling adulterated goods. Random samples are being collected from wholesale markets, grocery stores, shops around religious places and transport warehouses. The government has also appealed to the general public not to be lured by low prices and buy ghee with open or suspicious packaging and to use only registered and lab-tested pure edible ghee. If you see any misleading labeling in the name of ‘Pooja Ghee’, then immediately lodge a complaint on FSDA’s toll-free number so that those who are playing with people’s health and religious faith can be sent behind the bars.