How to Identify Fake Ghee: Home Checks and Where to Complain

Ghee adulteration rises with demand before the festivals. In October 2026 alone, thousands of kilograms of suspected ghee were sealed in Vadodara. The guidance below is based on the household testing guide (DART) of FSSAI, India’s food safety authority.

Home test for starch in ghee (iodine test)

You can check at home whether mashed potato, sweet potato or other starch has been mixed into ghee:

1. Put half a teaspoon of ghee in a transparent glass bowl.
2. Add 2–3 drops of tincture of iodine (available at chemists).
3. If it turns blue, the ghee contains starch. If the colour does not change, there is no starch.

What you cannot detect at home

There is no reliable home test for palmolein, other cheap oils or vanaspati in ghee. FSSAI’s guide has no household test for them; they can only be confirmed by an accredited laboratory. Do not rely on tips such as melting ghee in your palm or heating it.

What to check when buying

• The pack shows an FSSAI licence number, the manufacturer’s name and address, a batch number and a manufacturing date
• Avoid loose ghee
• Treat “pure ghee” priced far below the market rate as suspect
• Don’t buy packs that look torn or resealed

Where to complain

• FSSAI helpline: 1800 11 2100 (toll-free, 24×7)
• FSSAI Food Safety Connect app or online portal – you get a complaint number by SMS
• Gujarat consumer grievance helpline: 1800 233 5500 (toll-free; listed by FSSAI for food complaints)
• The Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), Gujarat online complaint form
• If you know where adulteration is happening, tell Yuvrajsinh Jadeja’s team confidentially – you can report without giving your name