Milk, dairy products take centre stage as counterfeiting soars in India

Mumbai: Dairy products like milk, khoya, cheese, and ghee have become the top targets of adulteration and counterfeiting in India’s FMCG sector. Counterfeiting reported a 2.5x jump to 187 reported incidents in 2025 from 2018, per the Aspa-Crisil State of Counterfeiting in India report.Most of these incidents in the FMCG sector focused on milk-based products, the report added.

A majority of counterfeiting cases are reported in the dairy and beauty categories—segments where safety concerns and brand equity are especially sensitive, the report said.“Small-scale producers and local vendors often lack the capital or technical expertise to implement advanced tracking systems,” said Swapnil Bharadwaj, a quality and regulatory affairs expert on the sidelines of the TAF Connect Conference held by the Authentication Solution Providers' Association (Aspa).High-volume FMCG staples like water, salt, flour, sugar, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo have the most fakes. Among higher-margin products, the most counterfeited items are milk, mustard oil, ghee, premium tea, and detergents, the report added.

Counterfeit FMCG products are perceived to be about 19% cheaper than genuine products and are sold mostly (43%) from multi-brand retail outlets, per the report.This month, Rajasthan's Food Safety Department seized and destroyed approximately 1.5 lakh kg of expired Amul-branded non-dairy products after discovering they had expired. The accused purchased products near expiry, tampered with the dates and sold them.These incidents happen despite brands like Amul opting for duplication-proof packaging for their products.