Recent revelations about adulterated milk and milk products being sold extensively in the market, particularly in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Punjab, have shocked the Indian government
.jpg) After fruits and vegetables, it’s now the turn of milk and milk products. India is known as one of the largest milk producers in the world. Yet, the country cannot boast of the best quality milk and milk products, the reason being rampant practice of milk adulteration across the country.In a recent disclosure, the states that came under the purview of maximum adulteration of milk and milk products are Andhra Pradesh (AP), Maharashtra, Punjab and Gujarat.
Besides milk and milk products, these states have also earned bad name for selling other unfit edible commodities including beverages. The trend has alarmed both government and consumers alike. A number of adulteration cases have been registered in these states, but very little has been done so far.
“The only way this practice can be controlled is through indiscriminate checking and ensuring that the products are backed by appropriate health certification. The government should pass legislations in this regard,” opines Satish Kulkarni, principal scientist and head of the dairy technology division, southern regional station, National Dairy Research Institute, Bengaluru.
Samples tested
In order to gauge the adulteration rate, the Central government had collected samples and sent it for tests in the laboratories. In Maharashtra, the government had collected 281 beverage samples and 1,063 milk samples, of which 23.84% and 15.7%, respectively, were tested unfit.
However, denying such accusations, Arun Patil, chairman of the Indian Dairy Association (West Zone), said, “It is certainly not a rampant practice in Maharashtra. There might have been some sporadic incidents here and there, but that cannot be regarded as a popular trend prevalent in the state.”
The government collected samples for tests from AP, Gujarat and Punjab as well. In AP, out of 277 beverage samples, 20.22% were found objectionable and 17.3% out of 156 samples of milk were found contaminated, while Gujarat tested 24% of 121 beverage samples as unhealthy and Punjab was found to have tested 35.8% of 170 beverage samples and 34.1% out of 619 milk samples unwholesome.
Shalmoli Kundu |
