Srinagar, Sep 22 (KNS): The Jammu and Kashmir Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has prohibited the sale, storage, distribution and display of specified batches of four ghee brands across the Union Territory after laboratory tests found the products to be unsafe or sub-standard.

The prohibitory order was issued by Commissioner Food Safety J&K Khalid Jahangir under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, following analysis of samples lifted by Food Safety Officers from Anantnag, Jammu, Kathua, Samba and Pulwama.

The samples were tested at the National Food Laboratory, Ghaziabad and Food Testing Laboratory, Srinagar. The analytical reports found that the concerned food products failed to conform to prescribed standards and requirements under the Food Safety and Standards Act and related regulations.

The four brands named in the order are Cow Ghee Milk Bite, Pehalwan, Swift and Sangath.

The FDA said the laboratory findings included the presence of beta-sitosterol, vegetable fat and foreign fat, along with a positive Baudouin test and deviations in prescribed parameters for ghee, including Reichert-Meissl value, Polenske value, saponification value, B.R. reading, iodine value and fatty-acid profile.

As per the order, the Cow Ghee Milk Bite batch sampled in Jammu was declared sub-standard. The Pehalwan and Swift batches sampled in Anantnag were declared unsafe, while the Sangath batch was classified as unsafe/sub-standard.

The affected products include a 500-ml batch of Cow Ghee Milk Bite manufactured by Mahadev Industries, Rajasthan; a 500-ml batch of Pehalwan manufactured by Comfy Agro Pvt Ltd, Punjab; a 450-ml batch of Swift manufactured by Suneja Food Products, Haryana; and a 200-ml batch of Sangath manufactured by Akshar Dairy Product, Gujarat.

The Commissioner has directed all food business operators, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers and other persons dealing in the identified products to immediately discontinue their sale, storage, distribution and display across J&K.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp Channel

The concerned operators have also been ordered to segregate the affected batches and keep the stock in safe custody. They cannot sell, transfer, dispose of or otherwise deal with the stock without approval or directions from the competent Food Safety Authority.

The FDA has further directed the concerned food business operators to submit complete details of the affected stock, including the quantity received, sold or distributed and the quantity currently available, to the concerned Designated Officer within 48 hours of the order.

Food Safety and Enforcement Officers have been directed to ensure immediate implementation of the order and conduct necessary inspections and verification of the concerned premises and supply chain.

The order states that any person found violating the directions will be liable for action under the relevant provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules and regulations made under it.

The enforcement authorities have also been directed to maintain strict surveillance over the movement, storage, sale and distribution of the prohibited food products and take immediate action wherever the affected batches are found.

The FDA said the prohibition has been issued as a precautionary measure in the public interest. The order also allows the concerned food business operators to exercise their statutory right to seek re-analysis through an FSSAI-notified referral laboratory in accordance with the law.

The order was issued on September 22, 2026, by Khalid Jahangir, Commissioner, Food & Drugs Administration, J&K. (KNS)