CAUSE OF CONCERN HALF THE MILK SOLD IN CHENNAI IS SUBSTANDARD

Aflatoxin, Known To Cause Cancer, Found In 5% Samples; Docs Worried

Nearly 60% of the milk samples lifted from Chennai and its peripheries tested as part of the National Milk Safety and Quality Survey, 2018, were found “noncompliant”, but a bigger worry was that nearly one in 20 samples had a cancercausing ingredient aflatoxin M1.

A report of the survey was released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on Friday. The report deals with safety and quality of milk tested between May 2018 and October 2018 across all states and UTs. More than 6,432 samples, including 551 from 30 districts in Tamil Nadu, were tested.

“As per the report, 51% of the milk samples in TN were marked as noncompliant compared to 41% of all-India standards. Nearly 88 samples from the state tested positive for aflatoxin,” said state food safety deputy director Dr K Vanaja.

Food safety analysts said poorly maintained cattle sheds where fodder is not frequently replaced or kept dry can cause growth of fungus. “The food gets contaminated with aflatoxin. It is passed on to the milk as well,” said a senior government food analyst. “Pasteurization and sterilization of milk have little effect on aflatoxin M1 thus as waste product it remains in milk,” she said.

Among the 44 samples from Chennai, two tested positive for the carcinogen (above 0.5micrograms/kg) and 26 others were deemed non-compliant. In the surrounding areas, one out of four samples each in Puzhuthivakkam and Maraimalainagar were found to have aflatoxin.

“It is one of the commonest causes of liver cancer. When ingested, it gets concentrated in the liver and triggers growth of cancer cells,” said surgical gastroenterologist Dr R Surendran of MIOT Hospital. “We no longer test for aflatoxin in liver biopsies, but it now looks like it is time to get this done at least as evidence for a policy,” he said.

The executive summary of the report says this is the first time that presence of aflatoxin M1 in milk has been assessed in India. “Aflatoxin M1 comes in the milk through feed and fodder, which are currently not regulated in the country,” the report said. Medical literature has several published data linking aflatoxin to low birth weight and stunted growth in children.

Besides aflatoxin, doctors say presence of antibiotics in milk is a cause of concern. “Repeated use of antibiotic can make even some of the powerful, last-resort drugs redundant. With more and more superbugs, resistance to antibiotic can be one of the biggest public health hazards,” said infectious disease expert Dr Abdul Ghaffur, who is also the technical advisory member, of the national antibiotic policy.

State health secretary Beela Rajesh, who is also the commissioner of food safety, said the government is now planning a larger study to identify hotspots. “The survey has district-wise data but as of now we don’t know the name of brands or where the contaminated milk was picked from,” she said. District food safety officials will pick samples from more than 140 manufacturing units across the state. “We will be systematically screening milk provided by cooperative societies and vendors as well. It will be on our priority list now,” she said.