Milk adulteration: Only 8 milk samples analysed in Capital in last 3 years

Milk, instead of being beneficial, has become a cause of concern for many in the country. In a recent data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, only eight samples of milk from Delhi were analysed in the last three years and of these - one was found to be adulterated, but no penalties were imposed. 

In the absence of stringent laws, the data reveals that every third sample in the country is adulterated.

While 6,649 and 7,635 samples of milk were analysed in the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively, none of the samples were collected or analysed from the Capital. However, eight samples were collected in 2016-17 from Delhi.

Of the total 7,638 samples collected from across the country, 2,332 were found to be adulterated, almost a third of the actual number. Most of the adulterated samples are from Uttar Pradesh (1,306 out of 2,468).

After the Supreme Court in August 2016 directed to curb milk adulteration activities in the country, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had advised all the states and UTs to comply with the directions and submit their ‘action taken report’ (ATR), but so far only nine states, excluding Delhi have submitted their reports.

“Strict laws against milk adulteration exist and we have been mostly able to curb the adulteration in the national Capital, but it is still a reason of concern. A strip testing kit to check adulteration is in place and will cost only Rs 20,” said a source from FSSAI.

In accordance with the effective enforcement and implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Rs 1.96 crore (Rs 1,96,50,515) were collected as penalties amount in 2016-17, as compared to Rs 2.73 crores (Rs 2,73,34,606) in 2015-16.