What the ABC's Food Fraud Investigation Means for Ghee Buyers

August 3, 2026|Lisa Ormenyessy

After watching Four Corners' investigation into food fraud, I couldn't help wondering... what would happen if they turned their attention to the ghee aisle?

Like many Australians, I watched the recent ABC Four Corners investigation, Duped: Food Exposed, with equal parts fascination and frustration.

The program uncovered examples of misleading food labels, questioned country-of-origin claims and highlighted just how difficult it can be for consumers to know exactly what they're buying.

It left me wondering...

If this is happening across so many food categories, what would they find in the ghee aisle?

As the founder of an Australian ghee company, I believe that's a fair question to ask.

When I started OMGhee, I thought all ghee was made the same way. I couldn't have been more wrong. Because after spending just a few years in this industry, one thing has become abundantly clear to me.

Not all ghee is created equal, and the front label rarely tells the whole story.

Most of us shop quickly.

We look at the front of a packet or jar, recognise a brand, glance at the price and pop it into the trolley.

But the Four Corners investigation was a timely reminder that the front of a label is designed to sell a product.

The real story is often on the back.

That's especially true with country-of-origin information.

Many shoppers assume that an Australian flag, a map of Australia or the words "Made in Australia" automatically mean the ingredients came from Australia.

Sometimes they do.

Sometimes they don't.

Understanding the difference between where a product is made, packed and where its ingredients originate can completely change how you view what's on the shelf.

Why does one jar cost $6 and another $25?

This is one of the questions I'm asked most often.

Making traditional ghee is surprisingly simple.

But it isn't simple to produce.

Traditional ghee starts with butter. Lots of butter.

It takes hours of slow simmering to remove the water and milk solids, reducing the final yield before the ghee is even poured into a jar.

Then there's everything else that goes into producing food in Australia. Glass jars, lids, labels, electricity, quality assurance, food safety audits, organic certification, wages, freight and countless other costs that most shoppers never see.

I'm not sharing this because I think everyone should buy my ghee.

I'm sharing it because I believe every Australian deserves enough information to make an informed choice, whichever brand they buy. Food doesn't just appear on a supermarket shelf. There's a real cost to making traditional ghee properly.

And when one jar sells for a fraction of the price of another, it's worth asking what might account for the difference.

Ask questions. Any good producer should be happy to answer them.

The biggest lesson I took away from Four Corners wasn't that we should stop trusting food.

It was that we should start asking better questions.

When you're buying ghee, ask things like:

Where does the butter come from?
Is it made from traditional butter or another dairy ingredient?
Where is it made, farmed, poured, repackaged?
What does the country-of-origin label say?
Can the company explain how it's made?

Businesses that are proud of their product should be happy to answer.

This isn't about fear.

It's about transparency.

I don't believe consumers need more marketing.

I think they need more information.

Most food producers work incredibly hard to make honest, high-quality products.

But the Four Corners investigation reminds us that transparency matters, and that asking questions isn't being cynical. It's being an informed shopper.

If this article encourages you to spend an extra 30 seconds reading a label or asking a manufacturer a question, then it's done its job.

When consumers ask better questions, honest producers benefit, misleading claims become harder to sustain, and the whole industry becomes stronger.

That's good for everyone.