Junagadh police seize 300-plus tins of fake 'Gir cow ghee' before Diwali
By Ananya RaoAyush & Wellness Correspondent, Peepals Sanskriti
Representative image: PublicDomainPictures / Pixabay
Police in Junagadh, Gujarat, seized over 300 tins of ghee sold as 'A2 Gir cow desi ghee' that reports say was made from soybean and castor oil; lab results are awaited.
What Happened
Police in Junagadh, Gujarat, have seized more than 300 tins of ghee that was being sold as "A2 Gir cow desi ghee" but, according to reports of the raid published on Monday, October 26, 2026, was made with soybean oil, castor oil and chemical flavouring. The Special Operations Group (SOG) of the Gujarat Police carried out the raid with the food department, and samples have been sent to a laboratory in Vadodara for testing. The product was allegedly sold at about Rs 600 a kilogram under several brand names.
Key Facts
- The raid was carried out by the Junagadh SOG police with the food department; reports were published on October 26, 2026.
- More than 300 tins were seized; one report puts the haul at about 500 kg.
- The ghee was marketed as "A2 Gir cow desi ghee" and sold at about Rs 600 per kg, according to the reports.
- Reports say it contained soybean oil, castor oil and chemical essence instead of cow's milk fat.
- At least eight brand names were found, including "Braj Matuki" and "Keshav", according to the reports.
- The operation had allegedly been running for four to five years.
- Samples have gone to a laboratory in Vadodara; the results are awaited.
Why It Matters
Ghee holds a special place in Indian kitchens and rituals. It is used in daily cooking, in festival sweets and in temple offerings, and demand peaks in the weeks before Diwali, which falls on November 8 this year. Ghee from the milk of the indigenous Gir cow, often sold with an "A2" label, is marketed as a premium, traditional product and sells at a higher price than ordinary ghee. That premium is exactly what makes it a target for fraud: a cheap vegetable-oil mix sold under a heritage name can earn a large margin.
What the police and food officials have described is a product that borrowed the language of tradition without the substance. Soybean oil and castor oil are not milk fat, and "chemical essence" is added to imitate the smell of real ghee. The reports also say the same operation used many brand names, which can make it harder for buyers to notice that several products come from one source. Whether the samples are unsafe, and not only mislabelled, will depend on the laboratory's findings; until those come in, the case rests on what the police and food officials found at the site.
The Junagadh case comes in the middle of a wider festive-season crackdown. In the same week, food safety officials in Ludhiana, Punjab, seized 3,540 kg of desi ghee from a factory on October 24 and destroyed 675 kg of expired stock, pending lab tests. Officials in several states have urged buyers to purchase from trusted shops and to check food safety licences, especially for milk-based products during festivals.
For households, the lesson is practical. A label that says "A2", "Gir cow" or "desi" is a marketing claim, not proof. Buyers can check that a pack carries a valid licence or registration number from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), be wary of prices far below the usual market rate for cow ghee, and report suspicious products to the district food safety office.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Place | Junagadh, Gujarat |
| Agency | Special Operations Group (police) with food department |
| Seized | More than 300 tins (one report: about 500 kg) |
| Marketed as | "A2 Gir cow desi ghee", about Rs 600 per kg |
| Reported contents | Soybean oil, castor oil, chemical essence |
| Status | Samples sent to a Vadodara laboratory |
Impact
Short-term: The seized stock is off the market before Diwali, and further action will depend on the laboratory report.
Long-term: Cases like this can push regulators to look more closely at premium "A2" and "Gir cow" labels, and may make buyers more careful about where they buy ghee.
Who is affected: Families in Gujarat and elsewhere who bought these brands, honest dairy producers and sellers of genuine Gir cow ghee, and food safety officials enforcing the rules during the festival season.
Key Takeaway
Junagadh police seized over 300 tins of ghee sold as "A2 Gir cow desi ghee" that reports say was made from soybean and castor oil; laboratory tests will decide what follows.
Questions and Answers
What was seized in the Junagadh fake ghee case?
More than 300 tins of ghee marketed as "A2 Gir cow desi ghee", sold at about Rs 600 a kg under at least eight brand names, according to reports published on October 26, 2026. One report puts the quantity at about 500 kg.
What was the fake ghee allegedly made of?
Reports say it contained soybean oil, castor oil and chemical essence instead of cow's milk fat. Samples have been sent to a laboratory in Vadodara, and the results are awaited.
What is A2 Gir cow ghee?
It is ghee sold as being made from the milk of the Gir, an indigenous Indian cow breed, and is usually priced as a premium product. The label itself is a seller's claim and does not prove what is inside.
How can buyers protect themselves before Diwali?
Buy from trusted shops, check that the pack shows a valid FSSAI licence or registration number, be cautious of unusually low prices, and report suspicious products to the district food safety office.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Ananya Rao, Ayush & Wellness CorrespondentCovers Ayush and more for Peepals Sanskriti. All stories by Ananya Rao
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Ananya Rao is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
