PUNE: The monitoring mechanism to check adulterated and sub-standard milk being sold in the state is set to undergo a complete overhaul. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked all 34 districts to send in reports on the milk adulteration cases which have occurred in their areas in the last five years.
The aim is to find out region-specific patterns of milk adulteration, improve on the existing system of taking samples for testing and find ways to bring erring milk suppliers to book.
"We have told the 34 districts to send in data on the milk adulteration that has occurred in the last five years," said a highly placed source in the FDA commissioner's office in Mumbai. "We have already started a systematic strategy to check milk adulteration in any form or manner. Data of the last five years will shed light on the more common ways milk is adulterated, find out region-specific patterns, improve milk sampling methodology, in short, give a proper perspective on milk adulteration in the state," he said.
Chandrakant Salunke, assistant commissioner (food) Pune said, "We have been asked to collate and compile data of the last five years in respect of milk adulteration cases in Pune. This data will be collected from various places in the state."
The FDA has already sent letters to 273 milk packaging units in the state, warning them that they could be checked at any time in the future.
"We wanted to remind the milk manufacturing units that we will not tolerate adulteration. The letter was sent to all owners of manufacturing units, asking them to sensitise their people and ensure that no adulterants are added in milk - from the processing unit stage until the milk reaches the people's doorstep," said the FDA official.
A recent study conducted by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) across 33 states found that milk in the country is adulterated with detergent, fat and even urea, as well as the age-old practice of diluting it with water. Across the country, 68.4% of the samples were found to be contaminated.
In urban areas, the number of non-confirming samples were 845 (68.9%) of which 282 (33.3%) were packed and 563 (66.6%) were loose.
The most common adulteration was that of fat and solid not food (SNF), found in 574 (46.8%) of the non-conforming samples. Scientists say this is because of dilution of milk with water. The second highest parameter of non-conformity was skim milk powder in 548 samples (44.69%), which includes the presence of glucose in 477 samples. Glucose could have been added to milk, probably to enhance SNF.
"Milk is a primary source of nutrition for children. Therefore, it is even more important to keep a strict vigil on adulteration," said padiatrician Sharad Agarkhedkar, former president of the Indian Medical Association.
