The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : Poor quality milk in wide supply

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, May 06, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

Poor quality milk in wide supply

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, MAY 5. The increasing competition among dairies has led to deterioration in the quality of milk supplied. In the absence of stringent norms, milk of poor quality is being supplied to consumers. Barring a few companies, most of the milk producers in the private sector do not conform to the standards set by the National Dairy Development Board.

Milk producers commonly use preservatives to increase the shelf life of milk. However, people do not seem to be aware that consumption of milk of poor quality leads to health complications.

In the past 10 years, nearly 700 small and medium-size dairy units have entered the milk-processing sector in the country that had earlier been regulated to an extent. The dairy industry in India is valued at about Rs. 80,000 crore. Officials at the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) say that more than 20 brands are competing with the Nandini brand of the KMF to capture a well-established market that is worth more than Rs. 1,500 crore a year.

In the light of fears expressed by the public over the safety aspects of milk consumption, experts have suggested simple tests that can be conducted at home. The suggestions were made following allegations of adulteration of milk.

The convener of the Mysore Grahaka Parishath (MGP), C.V. Nagaraj, says milk is adulterated by using water or starch, and adulteration can be detected easily at home: put a drop of milk on a clean stainless steel vessel kept upright. If it flows down rapidly without leaving a stain, the milk is adulterated with water. If the addition of a drop of tincture iodine produces a blue colour to milk, it is adulterated with starch.

Mr. Nagaraj says that in several cities in north India, milk is adulterated with possibly dangerous substances. It has been reported that synthetic milk, prepared from harmful chemicals such as urea mixed with vanaspathi and soap powder, is in supply.

Export point out that a major problem with dairy farming in the country is that cows are milked in unhygienic conditions. By the time milk reaches the chillers or a dairy, bacteria will have multiplied.

Field-level officials of milk cooperative societies, who form a vital link between farmers and societies, say that though awareness is being created among farmers about the need for ensuring quality of milk, farmers are not heeding to advice.

They say that many farmers transport milk to chillers and dairies in unclean containers. Although the containers are disinfected before being handed over to milk producers, these have to be cleaned again the next day before milk is poured.

nly a few milk producers follow the scientific procedures taught to them by field-level staff.

According to Mr. Nagaraj, consumption of garbage by cows is unlikely to affect the quality of milk.

The production of low quality milk is affecting exports from the country, which is one of the largest producers of milk in the world.

Milk produced in India does not conform to the food safety norms prescribed in the western countries.

Of the 574 million tonnes of milk produced in the world annually, India contributes about 80 million tonnes. The annual production of milk in the country is estimated to increase to 88.4 million tonnes by 2005.

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