How is milk adulterated?
The most common way to adulterate milk is by adding water to it as it is very difficult to detect. However, one can know if the milk is not pure by just tasting it as it becomes less sweet because of the water. So, to make it undetectable, many add sugar to the mixture. And since it makes the milk thinner, many counter it by adding atta. This in turn makes milk powdery, so urea is added to it.
All these substances have poor shelf life; therefore, soda is added. So, the milk we usually get at our doorsteps is a concoction of all these substances.
How harmful is adulterated milk?
The water used is straight from the taps, the sugar the leftover kind which is brownish and high in chemicals. And the soda mixed into the milk isn’t baking soda but washing soda. So, one doesn’t have to think much to guess how harmful it is for the consumer.
Who is to be blamed?
There are three sources or culprits that can be blamed for it. Firstly, the milk can be adulterated at the place it’s generated i.e. at the farmers’. However, chances of a farmer diluting the milk is very less as he doesn’t want to let go of the little benefit he gets out of it. Secondly, the person who collects the milk from the farmer and gets it to the city could potentially adulterate it. There too, the chances are less. The most likely culprits are middlemen and distributors who have very little to lose.
Will checkpoints at octroi nakas help?
To a certain extent, yes, but it is better to check the milk at the point where it is deposited in the middle of the night for distribution. It is in these few hours that the crime is at its highest peak.
How can one detect if the milk is adulterated?
The Consumer Guidance Society of India has launched a kit which can help one check the purity of milk. It costs little (Rs30) and each kit can help detect adulteration in five different instances and it can also detect five toxic substances like soda and urea.
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