FSSAI To Conduct Pan-Indian Milk And Milk Products Surveillance To Curb Adulteration

FSSAI said this pan-Indian surveillance will be done on a large scale by collecting samples from both the organised and unorganised sectors in all the districts of the states/UTs

FSSAI's aim is to identify hotspots for adulteration in milk and milk products and devise corrective actions/strategies based on the results of the study and suggest a way forward.

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The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country's food regulator, on Thursday, said that it will conduct nationwide surveillance of milk and milk products in its ongoing effort to curb adulteration of milk and milk products. In a press release, FSSAI said that this pan-Indian surveillance will be done on a large scale by collecting samples from both the organised and unorganised sectors in all the districts of the States/UTs.

"The rationale behind choosing milk is due to its indispensable role in our food culture either as a fresh fluid or as processed dairy products. Milk contains vital micronutrients and macronutrients. People of every age group include milk or milk products in their daily diet. Changing lifestyle patterns and increasing health consciousness are the key growth drivers for milk and high-value milk products in India," FSSAI said in its statement. 

MAY 25, 2023 | PRESS RELEASE@MoHFW_INDIA pic.twitter.com/tmGfn3FK8W

— FSSAI (@fssaiindia) May 25, 2023

The food regulator's aim is to identify hotspots for adulteration in milk and milk products and devise corrective actions/strategies based on the results of the study and suggest a way forward.

Adding that in order to sustain the mandate of providing safe and wholesome food for human consumption, the said survey will be initiated with an objective to assess the milk and milk products (such as milk, khoa, chenna, paneer, ghee, butter, curd, and ice cream)  sold in the country for compliance of the quality and safety parameters as given in FSSR. 

In the past few years, FSSAI has conducted several pan-Indian surveys on commodities, which includes the Survey on Milk in 2011 and 2016 with sample sizes of 1,791 and 1,663, respectively. The National Milk Safety and Quality Survey 2018 was conducted in all States and UTs. A total of 6,432 samples of milk from organised and unorganised sectors were collected from 1,103 towns/cities with populations above 50,000. All samples collected were tested for critical parameters of quality and safety, FSSAI informed. 

FSSAI also conducted the pan-Indian surveys Milk Products Survey, 2020 to understand the true picture of the safety and quality of milk products and desserts being sold in the market during festivals. In all 2,801 milk product samples from organised and unorganised sectors (Paneer, Khoa, Chhena, Khoa-based desserts, and Chhena-based desserts) were collected from 542 districts across the country. The Milk products were tested for all the quality and safety parameters including pesticide residues, heavy metals, crop contaminants, melamine, and microbiological parameters.

In 2022, the FSSAI conducted a Milk Survey in 12 selected states in India. The survey aimed to assess the safety of milk, including the impact of the outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in cattle. The survey included 10 states where LSD was prevalent and 2 control states with no reported outbreak. The survey found that the milk sold in these states is mostly safe for consumption.