Inadequate pack information leads to Indian dairy quality test failures
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- Published on Wednesday, 08 February 2012 16:43
INDIA – The government is trying to fix the problem of insufficient product information on dairy packaging after it was revealed that 70% of milk samples from New Delhi failed quality tests.
When news emerged of the quality test results, Health Minister AK Walia had to quell the panic and questions from the BJP-led opposition by clarifying that the dairy samples had failed the quality survey because the packaging did not state that skimmed milk powder has been added.
Walia stressed that milk sold in Delihi is safe, and that harmed substances such as detergent and urea were not detected in the samples.
Quoting the findings of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) tests, Walia said that out of the 71 samples that were analysed from Delhi, 50 were said to be found fit "though non-conforming to standards due to the fact that the labels on pouches had no declaration in respect of presence of skimmed milk powder".
"Samples of milk are regularly taken and analysed for all possible adulterants. In the last three years, 458 samples were analyzed, of which 70 were found adulterated or sub-standard because of deficiency of fat and solids-not-fat. But none of the samples was found containing any harmful adulterant," Walia said.
The state government also issued a statement that “as per the report, none of the samples was found containing any harmful adulterant like neutralizers, hydrogen peroxide, sugar, starch, glucose, urea, salt, detergent, formalin and vegetable fat.”
According to the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, double toned, toned, standardized and full cream milk cannot be standardized for fat and solids by mixing skimmed milk powder.
The health minister has already held a meeting with Mother Dairy and Delhi Milk Scheme, together with senior officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to discuss packaging standards.
"We will go into the depth of the matter to prevent any kind of violation," Walia said, adding that government agencies will increase sampling tests and modernize their laboratory to ensure quicker results.
