Cuttack: It seems fake and adulterated food and beverages rackets have spread their tentacles across Odisha as one more duplicate ghee manufacturing unit was busted in CDA Sector-9 area of Cuttack district on Saturday.
A special unit of food safety officers and Jagatpur police reportedly raided the unit and seized the adulterated ghee and other items from the spot. They have also detained the owner of the unit for interrogation.
"After the raid, adulteration was found in the 'Subhas Ghee', a registered processing unit. Palmolein oil and other chemicals were being used to make the ghee. We also found some lacunae in the unit which failed to meet the food safety standards," informed Cuttack DCP Prateek Singh.
In the past few months, a series of duplicate ghee manufacturing units have been busted in the Twin City apart from such adulterated paneer, spices and honey factories.
The Commissionerate Police had busted a fake ghee manufacturing factory at Baurasahi under Choudwar police limits in September last year. In the same month, a duplicate honey packaging unit at Ranihat Canal Road in Cuttack was raided. Fake Gangajal and Gulabjal was also found in the unit.
November 25, 2020: Commissionerate Police busted a fake ghee and edible oil manufacturing unit at Gabagasta under Sadar police limits in Cuttack. A special team of Malgodown and Sadar police officials raided a house and seized adulterated ghee, palmolein oil, vegetable oil, some chemical and colour essence used to prepare the fake products.
November 28, 2020: An illegal unit making contaminated ghee was busted in Nuabazaar area in Cuttack. Huge quantity of adulterated ghee worth lakhs of rupees, raw materials used in manufacturing of the product and machinery were seized from the factory.
November 28, 2020: A unit, which was allegedly manufacturing adulterated ghee by blending certain oils, soluble powder and various chemicals was busted at Sriram Bazaar area in Bayalis Mauja in Cuttack. Logos of several ghee-manufacturing companies, raw materials and other equipment were seized from the unit.
November 30, 2020: A joint team of Jagatpur Police and Food Safety officials busted a spurious ghee manufacturing unit in the Jagatpur Industrial area of the town. Huge quantity of spurious ghee worth over Rs 1 crore, chemicals, packing materials and machines were seized during the raid.
December 21, 2020: A team of Badambadi police and health officials of Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) busted another factory engaged in the manufacturing of spurious ghee products.
January 12, 2021: A joint team of Airfield Police and Quick Action Team (QAT) busted a duplicate ghee manufacturing factory at Kaibalya Nagar in Sundarpada area and seized huge amount of adulterated ghee, machines and raw materials used to prepare the product.
Though Commissionerate Police is investigating the supply chains and roots of the illegal trade the unabated adulteration of several food items including tea, synthetic paneer, ghee, edible oils spread concerns in the Twin City.