India’s food safety regulator will carry out nationwide surveillance of milk and milk products, which are among the most adulterated staples, as summer temperatures rise.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will assess milk, khoa, chhenna, paneer, ghee, butter, curd and ice cream sold by organized and unorganized sectors.
“The reason behind choosing milk for surveillance is that milk has an indispensable role in our food culture, be it as fresh liquid or as processed dairy products. Milk contains vital micronutrients and macronutrients. People of all ages include milk or dairy products in their daily diet,” the FSSAI said in a statement without giving a date for the survey.
India’s total milk production increased from 146.31 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 221.1 MT in 2021-22, with the help of various central government schemes.
FSSAI’s latest National Milk Safety and Quality Survey in 2022 found that only 0.19% of the total 6,432 milk samples were adulterated, but some industry estimates indicate the size could be as high as 70%.
“Changing lifestyle patterns and increasing health awareness are the key drivers of growth of high-value milk and milk products in India,” the statement said.
FSSAI conducts regular national commodity surveys, including those conducted for milk in 2011 and 2016 with sample sizes of 1,791 and 1,663, respectively.
The 2018 National Milk Safety and Quality Survey was conducted in all states and union territories. Up to 6,432 milk samples were collected from organized and unorganized sectors in 1,103 towns/cities with a population of more than 50,000.
All collected samples were analyzed for quality and safety. FSSAI conducted a survey in 2020 to understand the safety and quality of dairy products and desserts sold in the market during festivals.
For that survey, 2801 samples of dairy products including paneer, khoya, chhenna were collected from 542 districts from organized and unorganized sectors.
Dairy products were tested for all quality and safety parameters, including pesticide residues, heavy metals, crop contaminants, melamine, and microbiological parameters.
The FSSAI milk survey in 2022 was conducted in 12 states, of which 10 were affected by lumpy skin disease in cattle. The survey aimed to find out how the administration of antibiotics or veterinary drugs to affected animals and the spraying of insecticides in sheds can result in residual contamination in milk.
“The survey result revealed that milk sold in the 12 selected states is largely safe for consumption,” the FSSAI statement said.