×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Govt calls for strict tab on milk adulteration

Last Updated 10 January 2012, 20:58 IST

Delhi Health Minister A K Walia assured  on Tuesday that collecting samples to check adulteration of milk would be intensified and the guilty would be brought to book.

Reacting to a question raised by Delhi Assembly opposition leader V K Malhotra on what the government is doing to stop the adulterated milk supply in the Capital, Walia said: “We had picked up milk samples from over 200 places and around 67 cases were registered. I have instructed the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) department to intensify lifting of samples. The guilty will not be spared.”

Walia further stated the government was also working towards modernising the laboratories to facilitate early and realistic findings of the tests on lifted samples.
A recent survey conducted by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had claimed that 70 per cent of milk samples picked up from the Capital failed to conform to standards.

Walia also clarified the alleged non-confirming samples of milk in Delhi as per the FSSAI survey did not contain any detergent or urea which is harmful to health.

“The provision of the Food Safety and Standards Act are deterrent enough to discourage dealers to go for adulteration. In case any adulteration is established, the accused will be booked as per the existing law which is harsh enough to overcome such incidents. The government will assure that the milk or any food item consumed by the residents is not adulterated,” said Walia.

As per the survey, in Delhi 71 samples were analysed out of which 21 were found conforming to standards. Fifty samples (70 per cent) were found fit, though non-conforming to standards due to the fact that the labels on pouches had no declaration about the presence of skimmed milk powder.

As per the report none of the samples was found containing any harmful adulterant like neutralisers, hydrogen peroxide, sugar, starch, glucose, urea, salt, detergent, formalin and vegetable fat.

Overall, 1,791 samples were analysed from 33 states and union territories in the survey. Out of which 68.4 per cent samples were found non-conforming to standards, 46.8 per cent samples were found deficient in fat, 44.7 per cent contained skimmed milk powder and in 8.4 per cent samples detergents were found.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 10 January 2012, 20:58 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT