FSSAI initiates national milk qty survey focusing on adulterated milk

New Delhi, The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) initiated a national milk quality survey. It will focus on unsafe or adulterated milk and will be carried out in 120 cities across the country. The apex regulator will collect samples of thirteen common adulterants.

There have been reports of delivery of low-quality milk to households across the country, and several litigations were filed with different courts. The Supreme Court is also looking into the matter, while a parliamentary committee has also expressed its concern on the subject of adulteration in milk. 

FSSAI will look into matters related to fat and solids-non-fat (SNF), vegetable oil, detergent, hydrogen peroxide, formalin, sugar, glucose, urea, starch, boric acid, ammonium sulphate, nitrates and cellulose maltodextrin. 

According to the apex regulator, the state-level steering committee, to be constituted by each state under the chairmanship of the state food safety commissioner, will comprise the state milk commissioner, representatives of organised dairy players in the cooperative and public sector, designated officers and food safety officers (FSO), amongst others.

“It will provide the states guidance throughout the survey with the involvement of FSSAI with an option to change the number of cities or include other cities or exclude the identified cities depending upon the availability of milk samples, the degree of risk and the chances of adulteration. Besides the steering committee will also identify hotspot areas and focus the survey in those,” FSSAI stated.