Punjab Government on Friday announced to ban the sale of ghee containing added matter not exclusively derived from milk fat.
The orders were issued by the state’s Food and Drugs Administration Commissionerate through a public notice informing that the manufacture, sale or distribution of ghee containing any added matter not exclusively derived from milk fat and vanaspati to which ghee or any other substance has been added is to be prohibited in Punjab.
Informing this, the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu said that there have been instances of “admixture of other substances in ghee, milk fat and vanaspati or hydrogenated vegetable oil in the State of Punjab under various brand names being sold as proprietary food items or otherwise”.
“Therefore, exercising the powers under relevant section of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, there is a proposal to completely prohibit the manufacture, sale or distribution of ghee, milk fat and vanaspati or hydrogenated vegetable fat to which any other substance has been added,” he said.
However, before the prohibitory orders are passed, a notice has been given to the general public and any other persons dealing with manufacture, sale or distribution of such admixtures to file objections, if any, to the proposal within a period of 15 days, said Pannu.