As debates and discussions centre around adulterated ghee being used to make Tirupati laddus, a bigger debate has emerged regarding the quality of milk and its byproducts. In particular, allegations suggest that palmolein is being mixed with milk, ghee, or vanaspati, raising questions about the testing mechanisms used in India to ensure products are not substandard and free of adulteration.

While the laddu controversy has reached the country’s apex court, with the Supreme Court ordering an investigation by an independent Special Investigation Team — consisting of two members of the CBI, two members of the AP State Police, and one FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) member, to be monitored by the CBI Director — industry players wonder how one can ensure clean feedstock.

Industry sources told businessline that some Malaysian players are producing palm oil, pasteurizing it into oil, and mixing beef tallow to maintain the BR (butyro-refractometer reading) and RM (Reichert-Meissl value). This is to ensure that ordinary testing methods do not identify the adulteration. They are processing various animal fats into powder form to mix with palm oil and exporting it to India.

Besides, various animal fats are imported into the country through different methods. Many unscrupulous contractors are mixing these fats or palm oil with milk (costing about ₹30 per kg) and supplying it to unsuspecting milk plants.

According to Mohamad Fadhil Hasan, Head of the Foreign Affairs Department at the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), “it is impossible” for refiners to mix animal fat, as the entire palm oil process does not involve any animal elements. Additionally, animal oil is strictly regulated by BPOM (Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan, a non-ministerial government institution), the Ministry of Health, and BPJPH (Badan Penanggulangan Jaminan Produk Halal) to ensure it adheres to safety and quality standards.

When asked about the quality controls in place to prevent adulteration before exporting to India, he said, “We have strict quality control measures at every stage of the production process. Additionally, thorough quality checks are conducted before the goods are loaded onto the ships. Any form of adulteration would be detected, as we adhere to stringent quality standards, both locally through SNI (Standard National Indonesia) and internationally through export standards such as PORAM (Palm Oil Refiners Association of Malaysia) and FOSFA (Federation of Oils, Seeds and Fats Associations).”

However, a veteran trader, who did not want to be identified, told businessline that this has been happening for years across the country. He pointed to the Jain Shudh Vanaspati scam as the first known instance of adulteration, where beef tallow was mixed with vegetable oils and sold as vanaspati.

“Beef tallow looks like butter. It can be easily mixed with palm oil,” he said, adding that many traders had even sold vanaspati containing palm oil as ghee in previous years.

Another source said palm oil is mixed with milk, and traders ensure that it correctly shows a fat content below 3.5 per cent. “The issue is that unscrupulous elements know how to dodge any quality checks,” the source said, adding that these consignments find their way into the production of ghee.

According to some industry sources, almost 70 per cent of the ghee sold is substandard. A reason for this is that, due to the increasing demand for ghee, market players indulge in such practices. The FSSAI, along with scientific panels, has established a procedure for detecting adulteration of ghee. However, this method for checking is only applicable to four vegetable oils: soyabean oil, groundnut oil, coconut oil, and sunflower oil. This leaves it open to tampering and allows it to pass through without being caught, an industry observer said.

(With inputs from Subramani Ra Mancombu, Chennai)

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