MEMBER, ANIMAL WELFARE BOARD OF INDIA HOLDS MEETING WITH HEADS OF VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS IN LUDHIANA

Ludhiana, September 5, 2018: Mr Mohan Singh Ahluwalia, member, Animal Welfare Board of India, today said that the state of adulteration in milk and milk products in our country is such that 68.7% of the milk and milk products sold in our country are not as per the standards laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). He said that as per the report of Union Ministry of Science and Technology, 89.2% of milk and milk products sold in country are adulterated in one form or the other.

Mr Ahluwalia said this while chairing a meeting of heads of different departments at Circuit House, here today. He said that adulteration in milk is more in Northern states of our country as compared to the southern states.

He informed that the most common adulterants are detergent, caustic soda, glucose, white paint and refined oil. These are considered very hazardous as they can be the leading cause of some serious health problems. He said that the National Survey on Milk Adulteration had also conducted a survey some years back and found that due to lack of hygiene and sanitation in handling and packaging, detergents used to wash containers and other surfaces, find their way into the milk. However, detergent and other contaminants like urea, starch, glucose, and formalin are also used to deliberately adulterate milk as they provide thickness and preserve the milk for longer periods. He said that the adulterants in milk are hazardous and can cause irreversible damage to the organs.

He further stated that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently issued an advisory to the Government of India, in which it has stated that if the adulteration of milk and milk products is not checked immediately, then 87% of the residents would be suffering from serious diseases like cancer by the year 2025. He said that with the excessive use of pesticides, even the wheat is getting poisonous in North India, which is a dangerous trend.

He urged the heads of all agencies involved in checking adulteration of food and products, to intensify the sampling. He said that in Haryana, officials from state veterinary department have been deputed the work of food sampling because of shortage of food inspectors. He urged the Punjab government to depute veterinary department officials for food sampling work as well. He asked all the officials to work wholeheartedly to check adulteration of food as if it is not checked, it might lead to some serious health related issues.

Prominent among those present during the meeting included Deputy Director Animal Husbandry Mr GS Toor, Deputy Director Dairy Mr Dilbagh Singh Hans, besides several others.