Over the past few months, several cases involving the sale of adulterated dairy products, including milk, ghee and paneer, have surfaced across different parts of the country. Milk and ghee are staples in Indian households as well as in restaurant kitchens, making their quality and hygiene crucial for public health. Keeping this in mind, the Food Safety Officers and enforcement squads under the Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana, conducted a special Ghee and Milk Drive on April 16, 2025.
During the inspections, officials carried out checks at 71 establishments across multiple districts and collected 91 samples for laboratory testing. The teams observed the sale of non-branded and loose milk and ghee in several areas. In certain districts, milk centres operating without valid Registration Certificates (RCs) were also identified.
Action Taken Against Offenders
Following these findings, authorities initiated action against the offenders. Show-cause notices and improvement notices were issued, and samples were lifted for further analysis. As part of the enforcement drive, milk and ghee worth Rs 7.78 lakh were seized in Hyderabad for operating without proper authorisation.
The Commissioner of Food Safety also shared images from the inspections on X, highlighting the scale of the operation and the need for greater vigilance in the dairy sector.
#CFS_TELANGANA Ghee and Milk Special Drive (16 Apr 2026) – Telangana -Inspections by Squad and Food Safety Officers, Telangana
· 71 inspections conducted
· 91 samples collected across districts.
Findings
. Availability of non-branded and loose milk and ghee was observed in… pic.twitter.com/uWJpO7NHNv— Commissioner of Food Safety, Telangana (@cfs_telangana) April 20, 2026
How To Identify Safe Milk And Ghee Products
The Commissioner urged consumers to choose packaged milk and ghee and to always verify that the product has a valid FSSAI licence before buying such products. An FSSAI licence is a 14-digit number printed on food packages, indicating that the food business operator complies with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. This ensures that minimum standards of hygiene, quality, and safety are followed.
Telangana is not alone in stepping up checks on dairy products. Similar inspections are being carried out across the country. Earlier this month, food safety officials in Surat seized 2,029 kilograms of adulterated ghee. They arrested two men after raiding a manufacturing unit as part of a focused crackdown on food adulteration.
Milk safety inspections are also ongoing in Telangana. In March, officials destroyed 50 litres of badam milk and kulfi products being prepared in highly unhygienic conditions.