Food inspectors of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) are likely to get mobile vans for tracking milk adulteration in the city as well as the rest of the state.
Food inspectors of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) are likely to get mobile vans for tracking milk adulteration in the city as well as the rest of the state. “We are in the middle of making a proposal which will provide food inspectors across the state with mobile vans. This will ensure speedy testing of suspicious samples,” said FDA minister of state Satej Patil.
The minister said that he was also planning to write to the cooperative milk federations to hire similar vigilance units to keep a check on adulteration. “Similar to FMCGs which have independent units to keep adulteration of their products under check, these federations need to gear up against the menace of adulteration,” added Patil.
Sources in the administration agreed that though the FDA has been doing its bit to curb adulteration, a lot more needs to be done. “Mobile vans will ensure that milk is tested minutes after raids. Normally, the samples are taken to the FDA lab, and this hampers the pace of investigation,” said Patil.
Chandrakant Pawar, joint commissioner (food), FDA, said that the menace of milk adulteration, though financially not as big as adulteration of other products such as sand or oil, is equally hazardous since milk is a product consumed both by the rich and the poor. “Almost 99% of those arrested have either poor education or are illiterate. They are ignorant about the harmful effects of adulteration and are doing it since they have no work,” saidPawar. Further explaining, Pawar said that it was the “easy money” which attracted these youth. “Milk adulteration is a job of hardly four hours in the morning. All the Mafia has to do is to buy milk in bulk from the wholesalers and add adulterating materials into the plastic bags by cutting them,” said Pawar.
With milk coming from tabelas in Mumbai almost non-existent, the menace of adulterated pouch milk is even more threatening. “The mafia normally runs through the slums. However, if people buy milk from stores, 80% of the problem will be over, “ said Pawar.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}