O Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa), the Federal Police (PF) and the Federal Public Ministry (MPF), in Pouso Alegre (MG), launched this Thursday morning (20) the Operation Alkanes, with the aim of investigating the practice of fraud involving the adulteration of butter by adding vegetable fat instead of cream.
The investigations were initiated based on repeated complaints to the Federal Government's Ombudsman System. Owners and employees of the establishment prevented several attempts by MAPA to inspect the site.
Given the impossibility of carrying out inspections at the dairy facilities, federal agricultural inspectors from the 5th Inspection Service for Products of Animal Origin (SIPOA) collected butter samples from retail establishments for analysis at the Federal Laboratory for Agricultural Defense in Pará (LFDA-PA). The reverse-phase liquid chromatography and ultraviolet detection methods were used.
The results of all analyses indicated the replacement of dairy fat with vegetable fat, use of sorbic acid/sorbate – preservative not permitted by the Technical Regulation on the Identity and Quality of Butter – and presence of total and fecal coliforms.
“The fat used to produce butter must be composed exclusively of dairy fat, usually cream. Replacing dairy fat with vegetable fat constitutes adulteration, which is subject to administrative and criminal punishment,” explains the coordinator of the 5th SIPOA, Pedro Henrique Bueno.
With the detection of fraud in the production of butter, infraction reports were drawn up for the establishment, which resulted in administrative sanctions such as the precautionary seizure of all products found in the establishments and the determination of the collection of adulterated products at retail.
The production establishment was also provisionally closed.
The irregular profits obtained from counterfeiting were estimated at around R$12.390.338,48 calculated on sales from the years 2021 and 2022 up to July 1.
Butter fraud
The Federal Police also found that, in the first half of 2022 alone, the company under investigation acquired R$2.394.800,00 in products intended for the adulteration of butter.
“The price of vegetable oils used to replace animal fat corresponds, on average, to half the price of cream, the only type of fat permitted for making butter. The products purchased by the dairy represent the acquisition of 9.625 boxes of vegetable fat,” Bueno points out.
During the Operation, two temporary arrest warrants were also served for threats against a Mapa server.
Those involved will be held liable for the crimes of corruption, adulteration or alteration of food substances or products; packaging or container with false indication and falsification of a seal or public sign, in addition to threats during the course of the process.
If convicted, they could face up to 24 years in prison, in addition to paying a fine.
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