Adulterated milk: Official says 68% milk & milk products in India not as per FSSAI standard

A not so favourable news for Indians where milk is widely used than any other country in the world. Mohan Singh Ahluwalia, member, Animal Welfare Board of India yesterday said around 68.7 percent of milk and milk products sold in India is not as per the standards prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Ahluwalia said the most common adulterants that are being used are caustic soda, detergent, white paint, glucose, and refined oil. He further quoted a report by the Ministry of Science and Technology, which said 89.2 per cent of such products are adulterated in one form or the other.

As mentioned by him adulteration in milk was more in the Northern states as compared to the southern states of India.

Ahluwalia further said that as per a survey conducted by the National Survey on Milk Adulteration a few years back, it was found that because of deficiency in maintaining hygiene and sanitation in handling and packaging, detergents used in washing containers mix with milk and milk products.

He said, "However, detergent and other contaminants like urea, starch, glucose and formalin are also used to deliberately adulterate milk as they provide thickness and preserve the milk for longer periods." He said this in a meeting of heads of different departments and members in Ludhiana.

He said the adulterants in milk are hazardous and can cause irreversible damage to human organs. As per an advisory issued by The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently to the Government of India declared that if adulteration of milk and milk products is not checked immediately, 87 per cent of citizens would be suffering from serious diseases like cancer by the year 2025. Ahluwalia cautioned the excessive use of pesticides is a “dangerous trend” and all agencies associated with checking adulteration of food products to intensify the sampling process.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is an autonomous body set under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 with an aim to implement food safety and regulation in India as well as protecting and promoting public health.

India is the world's largest milk producer and milk products due to country's wide ruse of milk-related products.