Amul wants natural fortification of milk: GCMMF chief

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Wednesday said it has sent notice to dairy major Amul for "disparaging" the fortified milk segment.

Amul wants natural fortification of milk: GCMMF chief

Mumbai: The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which sells milk and milk products under the Amul brand, on Thursday said it is not against the fortification of milk but would prefer it to be natural. Responding to FSSAI's allegation of disparaging the fortified milk segment, Amul said it is not in favour of synthetic or artificial fortification of milk.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Wednesday said it has sent notice to dairy major Amul for "disparaging" the fortified milk segment. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has been spearheading milk fortification and the food regulator said Amul though it has fortified two products, has reservations against the synthetic fortification of milk and the limits for the same. "We are not against fortification. FSSAI is doing a wonderful job. We are helping the food industry to grow. There can be a difference in opinion. We want natural fortification and want this where it is required," GCMMF managing director R S Sodhi told reporters at the FICCI Foodworld India event here.

"In milk, 10 per cent of the sector is organised. If I give you chemicals and synthetic where it is not required then it will become toxic," he added. FSSAI chief executive Pawan Agarwal on Wednesday had said "It (fortification) is not so far mandatory. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. Why do you have to go out and disparage the entire sector and create confusion among the public?".. We have issued them a notice and they have to respond to that."

Sodhi said for the brand Amul it is eyeing a turnover of Rs 53,000 crore and for the Federation around Rs 40,000 crore for the year. Last year the revenue for Amul was around Rs 42,000 crore, he said. On Amul which has ventured into sweetmeats, Sodhi said, "We will be focusing on the sweets business as it is a large market. We already have a few products but we want to get into the fresh local sweets market, which will have a shelf life of at least 40 days. We plan to set up plants in various places including Mumbai, Surat, Delhi, Kolkata among others to offer the local delicacies there."

"Mumbai's sweets market itself is worth Rs 1,700 crore so you can understand the scope of this business. We will invest in setting up the facilities but it will not be very significant," he added.