Ghee adulteration: Gujarat government seeks suspension of Dudhsagar Dairy MD

The adulteration of dairy products is becoming a growing concern in several parts of the country. In the latest instance, about 600 tonnes of adulterated stocks of ghee were recovered from one of the units of Mehsana’s Dudhsagar Dairy, prompting the Gujarat government to recommend sacking of the Managing Director of the dairy union.

The registrar of cooperative societies in Gujarat on Thursday stated that there is a case of negligence and dereliction of duty against the Managing Director of Dudhsagar Dairy. The investigation is on and the Board has been advised to suspend the MD on grounds of dereliction of duty.

Out of the total 172 batches packed by Mehsana Dairy Union, 118 batches with quantity of 600 tonnes worth ₹40 crore were found to be adulterated. The adulteration is said to have been taken place during June.

The GCMMF has also initiated quality testing of about 512 tonnes of ghee stocks packaged at Mehsana Dairy and now lying at the branch warehouses. “If a sample fails in the quality test and found to be adulterated, the entire stock will be sent back to Dudhsagar Dairy at its own cost and will only add to the reported adulterated stocks,” said the GCMMF letter, signed by Managing Director RS Sodhi asking the Directors to take strict actions prescribed under the FSSAI guidelines against those involved in the criminal act.

The letter also stated that since the ghee was branded under Amul and Sagar brands, it was desired to suspend despatches of all stocks of ghee packaged at Mehsana dairy union. Also, it noted that there were reports of adulteration of ghee in its other brands ‘Dudh Mansagar’ and ‘Dudh Motisagar’. “Therefore, the quality department of the Federation has advised to stop all despatches of ghee stocks from Dudhsagar dairy,” the letter said.

The Gujarat government’s Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has now initiated an independent investigation into a possible multi-State adulteration racket.