The Supreme Court might have prescribed punishment of life imprisonment to people indulging in production and marketing of adulterated milk, Jharkhand is apparently not in a position to catch the real culprits when it comes to implementing the order.
As against 24 Food Safety Officers required to be appointed in the State, on one each in every district, to collect food samples including milk, which is quite vulnerable to be adulterated, just nine such authorities are on the job here. The officers are also doing multi-tasking. Worst is the lone presence of Food Analyst who is often overburdened with the samples collected and test those to certify their edibility.
The situation is so when the Government under the Jharkhand Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011 says Food Safety Officer shall be a whole time officer and even Jharkhand High Court had taken suo-motto cognizance on the basis of the report published in The Pioneer on January 11, 2012.
“We have been able to collect five samples related to milk and milk products since September. In one case of October, conviction has been made. But considering the spread of the area and quantum of supply more and more samples should be collected. It is because the State does not have sufficient man power in place,” said Director, Food Safety of the State Health Department TP Burnwal. Food samples coming for testing remained just two in September, one in October and again two during the presiding month.
Jharkhand figures among top in the list of States consuming vegetable diets more as per the National Sample Survey Organisation data released recently. This left Jharkhandis depending heavily on milk and related products. Though the reality puts alarm bell ringing in light of milk samples the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) had collected last time. Report of FSSAI had reveled in 2011 that not a single sample of milk collected from the State was up to the food safety standards. Things have not changed much thereafter in Jharkhand.
“We have cases of water mixing more in numbers. But have found samples which have been unfit for consumption. If more samples come for testing I guess the cases of adulteration would certainly go up,” said JK Singh, the lone Food Analyst Jharkhand has thus far. Though there are brands like Sudha, Dairy Fresh, Medha and Shayam who deal in packaged milk, considerable amount of supply is dependent on gwalas (milkmen) making merry of the provisions made.
“In the case of milk, instances of water being mixed are more that lower fat content. It is also important to note that most of the milk business is in unorganised sector and it is very difficult to rein the milkmen,” KP Singh, Food Safety Officer for Ranchi. Singh revealed that in last one year about 100 cases of food adulteration had been detected out those 55 were educative in nature and thus fined while 44 considered unsafe and sent to the CJM for prosecution
“Mixing is there but not so dangerous to health to consumers. It is because milkmen here do not use substances like Urea to make synthetic milk. In most of the cases water and starch is mixed to befool the lactometer tests. But we have our own test labs where milk coming from the registered farmers gets tested before being packed and supplied,” said Saif Khan of Dairy Fresh.
The brand is supplying about 10,000 liters of milk in Ranchi and around daily. Khan also admits that after the Food Safety Act coming into force mentality for adulteration has gone down, at least at organised level. Cases of fatal adulteration in milk products go up during festival seasons and marriages which make life of consumers in danger even further.
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