# From Milk to Medicine: How a Web of Fake and Adulterated Goods Is Reaching Your Plate

> Cases of adulteration in milk, paneer, ghee, medicines and cosmetics are surfacing across India, and the counterfeit trade is now costing genuine businesses around Rs 4.8 lakh crore every year.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Business · **Published:** 2026-07-14 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/business/thali-taka-pahuncha-rahi-milavata-dudha-panira-aura-ghi-se-lekara-davaiyon-taka-kaise-phaila-raha-nakali-samana-ka-jala-7712 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** counterfeit goods, fake milk, fake paneer, adulterated ghee, fake medicines, food safety, Food and Drug Administration, adulteration

From the kitchen shelf to the medicine cabinet, it is getting harder and harder to trust that what we use every day is actually the real thing. The web of fake and adulterated products in the market has grown so deep that milk, paneer, juice, ghee and even medicines are being caught with adulteration in them. A handful of people are making crores of rupees running this racket, but the heaviest price is paid by ordinary people, who lose their health in the bargain. Government agencies and the administration keep carrying out raids and taking action, yet the trade refuses to be uprooted.

## A big fake-milk racket in Maharashtra
One of the most shocking pictures of this adulteration emerged from Dharashiv in Maharashtra, where a large fake-milk business was busted. Figures from the Food and Drug Administration show that in just three years, fake milk worth around Rs 4 crore 63 lakh was pushed into the market. The investigation also revealed that roughly 2 lakh 30 thousand kg of milk powder was used in the operation. Mixing this powder with other ingredients, close to 23 lakh litres of synthetic milk was prepared and sold, with a total value estimated at about Rs 10 crore. In other words, what people drank for months believing it was pure milk was in reality factory-made counterfeit milk.

## Fake paneer seized in Rajasthan
The chain of adulteration did not stop at milk. Fake paneer, too, is making its way straight to people's plates. In several parts of Rajasthan, the making and selling of fake paneer was going on openly. In Alwar, the police and the food safety department jointly acted and seized 545 kg of synthetic paneer. To make sure it never reached anyone's plate again, this paneer was buried in the ground and destroyed. Separately, 150 kg of adulterated paneer was caught in the Neemrana area of Kotputli, and its samples have been sent for testing. These cases make it clear that the fake-paneer trade is not confined to one town, but has spread across different parts of the state.

## Medicines, ghee and cosmetics hit too
This counterfeit trade has not stopped at food and drink either. In just the last few weeks, adulteration has surfaced in medicines, ghee, cosmetics and a range of other everyday goods. On July 11, fake medicines worth Rs 3 crore 63 lakh were seized in Uttar Pradesh, a direct gamble with people's lives. A day earlier, on July 10, cosmetics worth about Rs 40 lakh were confiscated in Nanded, Maharashtra. On July 3, seven people were arrested in Delhi's Okhla for selling expired goods. Before that, on June 10, fake ghee worth Rs 31 lakh 80 thousand was caught in Ahmedabad, while on June 1, some 14 thousand kg of adulterated ghee and oil was seized in Pokhran, Rajasthan. And on June 26, an entire factory making fake liquor was busted in Kutch, Gujarat. This long line of incidents shows that adulteration is no longer the problem of a single product or a single state.

## How big is this counterfeit market
The trade in fake products has now become a serious disease for India. On one hand it puts people's health at risk, and on the other it deals a heavy blow to genuine companies and honest traders. According to one report, counterfeit goods cost the country's real businesses around Rs 4.8 lakh crore every year. The same report also states that in the past one year, one in every three Indians has fallen victim to fake goods in some form. What is more, about 89 percent of urban residents have bought a counterfeit product at some point in their lives. These numbers show that the problem is no longer an exception, but a common experience.

## The online market invaded too
Those who sell fake goods no longer rely only on neighbourhood shops. They have turned the online marketplace into their new base. According to the report, a large volume of counterfeit purchases is now happening through online channels, where it becomes even harder for a buyer to tell the real from the fake. Many people also say that over the past while, the presence of fake goods in their own areas has clearly increased.

## Which goods see the most adulteration
The report claims that the most adulteration is found in farm-linked goods, including grains, pulses, fruits and vegetables. Beyond that, clothes, medicines, daily-use items and vehicle spare parts are also caught in the grip of counterfeiting. Going by the figures, agricultural products carry up to around 35 percent adulteration, while the number stands at 31 percent for clothes, 28 percent for medicines, 27 percent for daily-use items and up to 22 percent for vehicle spare parts. Clearly, almost every category of everyday necessity now carries the risk of the fake.

## Big brands enter the fight
The damage from counterfeits is not limited to ordinary consumers or small shopkeepers. Large foreign and luxury companies are troubled by it too. To protect the reputation of their brands, several luxury companies now take the help of private investigators to identify fake goods in the market. These investigators go into the market posing as ordinary customers, trace the source of the counterfeit goods, and the companies then take legal action on that basis.

## AI joins the hunt for fakes
Technology is now emerging as a powerful weapon in this battle. To keep an eye on the networks selling fake goods, American firms such as Signa Techlaw Corp. are using artificial intelligence alongside investigation to work out where and how counterfeit stock is entering the market. The real point is that fake goods in the market are not just a story of money lost, they are directly tied to people's health and safety. Tackling this needs strict action from the administration, but it also needs ordinary people to be far more alert than before while shopping.

## What this means for you
- **For your health:** Fake milk, paneer, ghee and medicines are going straight into your body and can cause illness or serious harm, so check the brand, packaging and expiry before you buy.
- **For your wallet:** Paying the price of the genuine article and getting a fake is a direct loss, and the risk grows with online shopping, so buy only from trusted sellers.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. How big was the fake-milk case caught in Dharashiv, Maharashtra?
According to the Food and Drug Administration, fake milk worth around Rs 4 crore 63 lakh was sold in three years, using roughly 2 lakh 30 thousand kg of milk powder.

### 2. How much synthetic milk was made and sold?
About 23 lakh litres of synthetic milk was prepared and sold in the market, with a value estimated at around Rs 10 crore.

### 3. What action was taken over fake paneer in Rajasthan?
In Alwar, 545 kg of synthetic paneer was seized and destroyed by burying it in the ground, while 150 kg of adulterated paneer was caught in the Neemrana area of Kotputli.

### 4. How much does counterfeit trade cost India's genuine businesses each year?
According to a report, fake goods cost the country's real businesses around Rs 4.8 lakh crore every year.

### 5. Which goods see the most adulteration?
The highest adulteration, up to around 35 percent, is found in agricultural products, followed by 31 percent in clothes, 28 percent in medicines, 27 percent in daily-use items and up to 22 percent in vehicle spare parts.

### 6. Are ordinary people also falling victim to fake goods?
The report says one in three Indians fell victim to fake goods in the past year, and about 89 percent of urban residents have bought a counterfeit product at some point.

### 7. What role is technology playing in catching fake goods?
American firms such as Signa Techlaw Corp. are using artificial intelligence alongside investigation to trace the networks that sell counterfeit goods.

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