JOIN USThe Food Safety Department will now test sample milk of all brands, said an official on Thursday.
This comes close on the heels of the controversy that broke out after the UP Food and Drug Administration told the media earlier this week that samples of milk of Mother Dairy were found to contain detergents. Mother Dairy had, however, denied this claim.
“The inspectors have been directed to pick up samples of packaged milk across all brands from the market. The samples will be lifted from different parts of the capital,” confirmed an official of state Health Department.
Packaged milk available in both packets and bottles will be tested. The samples will be tested for various parameters to check if there is any case of adulteration.
Checks to assess quality
No particular brand is under scanner and the check is to assess the current quality of packaged milk, said another official.
During summer, there is a shortage in milk supply. This gives rise to cases in which sub-standard milk is supplied to consumers in which the water content is high.
“The checks on milk and other dairy products are intensified during summer as there is a chance to give sub-standard quality of milk with a shortage in supply.
“Besides this season, the checks are intensified on milk and sweets around festivals, like Holi and Diwali, during which the production of these products is scaled up,” said the official.
Deccan Herald had earlier reported around 25-30 per cent of the milk samples tested in Delhi have low nutritional value with high water content. These samples are mostly local samples and not branded products.
“There is a problem if water is mixed in high quantity as the fat amount in milk reduces and the product becomes diluted,” said an expert.
The Food Safety Department had recently lifted samples of energy drinks, health food and baby food in the capital. The test reports of the analysis are awaited.