Taking a serious note of the ill effects of synthetic milk on public health, the Bombay high court has directed the state to ensure that every dairy in the state has kits to test sodium lauryl ether sulphate (SLES), a carcinogenic substance used to make synthetic milk.
A division bench of justices DY Chandrachud and SC Gupte directed the government while hearing a PIL filed by Pune-based NGO SM Memorial Association, which takes up public health issues.
Counsel for the NGO, Jane Cox said the Food and Drug Administration had conducted raids in 2009 where it came across sorbitol, which is used as a sweetener, and SLES for the first time. After that, it hasn’t been able to detect the chemicals in other milk samples.
“The test methods available with the dairies are not equipped to detect these chemicals,” she said.
The judges have asked the state to inform by August 30 whether the dairies in public, co-operative and private sector have been equipped with test kits to detect chemicals like sorbitol and SLES.
“If the answer to this is no, then we expect the state to inform in what time these kits would be made available to the dairies,” said the judges.
The government has been directed to make five defunct laboratories in the state functional by recruiting the necessary personnel and providing the adequate equipment.
Cox had informed the court that of the 15 laboratories in the state, five are non-functional.
Additional government pleader Samir Kulkarni told the court that the government has sanctioned six mobile laboratories. HC has asked the government to make these functional at the earliest.
Apart from sorbitol and SLES, refined oil is used to manufacture synthetic milk, stated the PIL.
The National Dairy Development Board has made kits available to dairies, which help them to detect adulterants — salt, urea, bicarbonate, ammonia fertiliser and starch, added the PIL. “These kits are not equipped to detect carcinogenic substances,” argued Cox.
HC has kept the PIL for hearing on August 30.
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