Food safety department sends notice to supplier of Amul milk product

Food safety department of Firozabad has issued a notice to Amul milk product supplier and distributor after the department found less fat content in milk against the declared percentage on the milk packet. The matter came to light after the FSDA collected a sample of Amul milk in the month of June this year from milk outlets in Firozabad and sent their samples to government laboratory of Varanasi for examination.

Speaking to TOI, Virendra Singh Kushwaha, the chief food safety officer said, "After collecting the samples of Amul milk, we first took it to a nearby private laboratory to check if the milk content is according to set parameters. The result revealed that fat content was .8% less against the declared 6%. To recheck, we took the sample to another private lab, and again the same result was found. Finally, we decided to send the sample to Varanasi lab, so as to take legal action against the supplier and distributor of milk." He said, "In summer months, to meet the increased demand for milk, suppliers often mix water in their products to increase the milk quantity, which results in less fat content."

"The Varanasi lab also confirmed that Amul milk sample had only 5.2 % fat. We have now sent notice to Neelam milk agency of Firozabad, the prime distributor of milk product in the district and Garima Milk and Food Product of Dholpur, a packager and supplier of Amul products in Western UP district. If they wish, the two can challenge the lab results and samples will be again sent to Kolkata laboratory. But if they accept the report, then we will levy hefty penalty for low quality milk product," he added.

The lab report was shared to additional city magistrate Sheetla Prasad Yadav, who directed FSDA to send the notice to two concern parties. Speaking on the lab report of less fat content in Amul milk, the prime distributor Neelam Agency owner Pankaj said, "Whatever product the supplier provides us, we distribute it. Appropriate reply will be given to FSDA separately from our agency and Garima Milk and Food Product of Dholpur."

Beware, your biriyani may have dog meat

Vellore residents, who get cheap biriyani and meat dishes from roadside eateries must be cautious about dog meat is being served as mutton, said sources.

Vellore: It may be recalled a photo of two persons with a skinned carcass of a dog in Ambur that was circulated on social media, resulted in a scare and led to slumping of biriyani sales in the area a fortnight ago.

Sources revealed that four persons each in Christianpet and Kudibala village across Andhra Pradesh border on the Chittoor highway routinely provided dog meat to shops on both sides of the border.

With mutton sold at Rs 500 a kg, small shops were using this as a way of earning quick money as four kg of dog meat was sold for Rs 100. Getting the animals is not a hard task, given the increasing number of stray dogs on Vellore roads, added sources.

When queried about this, a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India official Dr Venkatesh said that they had not received any such complains.

He also denied the reports as both police and FSSAI had thoroughly checked all slaughter houses in the district following the Whatsapp message.