Milk adulteration: 37 per cent of samples collected in one year fail FDA test

An RTI application filed by The Indian Express with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) revealed that milk adulteration continues unabated in Pune, with more than 37 per cent of milk samples failing the FDA’s quality test in the last one year.

In cases where the milk was found to be substandard, FDA officials have filed cases before the adjudication officers, and in some cases compounding fees of Rs 10,000 has been levied.

BACK in 2007, Maharashtra had emerged as a major centre for milk adulteration, and 10 years later, the situation doesn’t seem to have changed much. An RTI application filed by The Indian Express with the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) revealed that milk adulteration continues unabated in Pune, with more than 37 per cent of milk samples failing the FDA’s quality test in the last one year.

Last year, the FDA had collected 142 milk samples for testing, of which 53 failed the test, revealed the reply to the RTI query. The samples were collected from both dairies and shops, and results of 17 samples are yet to be received by the office.

The standard parameters for testing milk — checking for fat content, urea content, presence of foreign objects and more — is listed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The local unit of the FDA collects samples to test them regularly. FSSAI has also laid down certain norms regarding the hygiene of the collection centres as well as the temperature at which milk has to be pasteurised and stored. Flavoured milk, paneer and milk powder are also tested and if some of the samples are found substandard, action is initiated against the dairies they came from.

In cases where the milk was found to be substandard, FDA officials have filed cases before the adjudication officers, and in some cases compounding fees of Rs 10,000 has been levied.

Samples from popular dairies such as Gokul and Katraj were taken for testing and found to be consistent with the set standards. Several samples collected from smaller dairies, which procure milk from unorganised players, failed the quality test. Of the 2.50 crore litres of milk collected daily in Maharashtra, around 1.25 crore litres is by the organised sector while the rest is from unorganised players.

The FSSAI has mandated licensing norms for dairies and most of the organised dairies, both cooperative and private, have to renew them on an annual basis. Reports about adulteration in smaller dairies is a matter of concern for Pune residents as many of them depend on such dairies for their milk supply, and these dairies also procure milk for larger dairies.

However, Rajiv Mitra, managing director of the Phaltan-based Govind Milk and Milk Products, assured that established players have multiple levels of checking, which help them weed out adulterated milk right at the source. “Other than fats, solid-not-fat and proteins, we also check for antibiotics and alcohol in milk. In case the milk is found to contain alcohol or antibiotics, we reject them at the procurement centre itself,” he said. Mitra claimed that chances of adulteration at the processing plants of major milk producers were non-existent due to the quality standards maintained by them.

Consumer rights activist Sudhakar Velankar, on the other hand, pointed out that most of the adulteration takes place while the milk is being sold door-to-door and the samples should be checked “at the sale point rather than at dairies”. Meanwhile, concerned citizens have called for widening the testing net to include both organised and unorganised players in the market.

Pune-based activist Vijay Kumbhar demanded that the names of dairies and milk producers, which fail the quality test, should be posted online to raise awareness about the issue. “This was a standard practice earlier, but it has been stopped now,” he said.