Latvian Shopper Falls Ill After Eating Mislabelled 'Desi Ghee' Containing Palm Oil

Ghee is obtained by slowly melting butter to remove milk proteins. The product purchased by the resident was available on store shelves under the name "Desi Ghee". The buyer told the program: "I visited an Indian grocery store and purchased a product called "Desi Ghee". However, the store does not sell real clarified butter, but palm oil, which is very dangerous to health. Two years ago, after using this same "Desi Ghee," I developed serious liver problems and needed treatment. This time, I noticed that they mix palm oil with a small amount of real ghee butter, because the transparent packaging shows a different colour and there is a very strong smell of palm oil, which imitates the aroma of ghee."

The video sent in by the viewer also shows that the ghee butter has several suspicious features: an uneven texture and layers at the bottom of the jar. Pure and properly prepared ghee has a uniform consistency.

This product was also tested by the Food and Veterinary Service, and Rīga Food Inspector Intars Saušs explained: "During the inspection, the inspector also took a sample of this product to test for the presence of non-dairy fats. The results show that there really is non-dairy fat in it. So, if this product is ghee butter, then there can be nothing else in it but cow's milk fat."

Although a violation has been found, the PVD is not investigating the specific composition of the impurity found, which means that it cannot be said with certainty that it is palm oil.

"By taking the sample, we stopped the only batch that was on sale. We have also notified the country of origin of the product and requested additional supporting documents from the company, including specifications on the product's composition. Perhaps this product is also incorrectly labelled. We will only find out when the company can provide us with all the requested documents," explained Saušs.

The use of palm oil in food production is not the healthiest of alternatives, but it is not prohibited either. However, if this oil is used, the food manufacturer or trader must clearly indicate this on the label so that the consumer is informed of their decision when purchasing the product.