68 Per Cent Of Milk In India Violates FSSAI Standards: AWBI Member

Mohan Singh Ahluwalia, member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has said that 68.7 per cent of milk sold in India does not meet Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) standards, Financial Express has reported. The most common adulterants were detergent, caustic soda, glucose, white paint and refined oil, he said.

He quoted a Ministry of Science and Technology report which said that 89.2 per cent of milk products are adulterated in one form or the other. Further, he added that adulteration was more rampant in northern states compared to southern states. Due to poor hygiene, detergents used for washing containers sometimes get mixed with milk.

“However, detergent and other contaminants like urea, starch, glucose and formalin are also used to deliberately adulterate milk as they provide thickness and preserve the milk for longer periods,” Ahluwalia said.

As of March 2018, milk production is at 14.68 crore litres per day and the consumption of milk is 480 grams per capita per day. Adulterants in milk can cause serious damage to human organs in the long term.