Kerala   

Adopt regulations to check adulteration

Large quantities of adulterated and sub-standard milk are being sold in the Kerala market, some of it coming from neighbouring States. Considering the health hazards this poses, especially to very young and growing children, this is a serious issue. Agriculture Minister K. R. Gouri has promised to crack down on such stuff. Do you think the Government can effectively do this, as the Karnataka Government, for instance, was able to do a few months ago with regard to spurious milk that was being brought in from a neighbouring State? Is there a role here for individual consumers, voluntary agencies and local bodies? Our readers respond:

Create awareness

It is true that large quantities of adulterated or sub-standard milk is being sold in the Kerala market, some of it coming from neighbouring States. Creating awareness among the public about the menace is essential. People buy packed milk from other States owing to its easy availability and affordability. Steps should be taken to make available good milk.

A. Jacob Sahayam

Thiruvananthapuram

Alert suppliers

The large-scale flow of adulterated milk into our State is a cause for concern. Malayalis, who start the day with a cup of tea, form one of the largest groups of milk consumers. The Government and milk traders should ensure that quality milk is supplied in the State. The Government should check the quality of milk distributed by private suppliers and if any fraud is detected their licence to produce and supply milk in the State should be revoked.

Milma, owned by the cooperative society and one of the biggest suppliers of milk in the State, should increase the production of good quality of milk. The private suppliers too should help the authorities tackle the problem. Consumers should check the trademark on the packets to see if it is has been legally certified. If they find that the milk is spurious, they should inform the authorities.

R. Akhil Ratheesh

Thiruvananthapuram

Stringent action

The authorities should take action against all those found guilty of selling spurious milk. The quality of milk should be monitored during the process of packing. If there is any change in the specification regarding the quality, the authorities should investigate and revoke the licence. Consumers too should be alerted to detect adulteration and inform the authorities about the quality of milk.

P.M.G. Pillai

Thiruvalla

Monitoring panels

Adulteration is unethical. Food items, including milk, are adulterated. If the consumers are vigilant and united, the vicious practice of adulterating food products can be easily checked. Monitoring committees should be set up in each panchayat. Women should be included in the panel, as they can easily detect the quality of the milk. Samples of spurious milk should be taken to the laboratory for analysis. If the test confirms adulteration, consumers in the locality should be made aware of it. They should be told not to buy the brand.

N. Ramachandran

Vakkom

Set up squads

The Government should play a pivotal role in tackling the present crisis by setting up special squads, with mobile testing labs, at border check posts. Milk brought in from other States should be tested to ensure that it is fit for consumption. Suppliers in the State should be made to comply with the standards set by the authorities. Consumers should buy milk only from reliable suppliers. Awareness programmes should be conducted to make the public understand the gravity of the situation. Voluntary organisations and groups can help create awareness among consumers. Staff at local tea stalls, canteens and hotels should be made aware of the health hazards of using adulterated milk. Tackling the situation requires the Government to chalk out a framework through which people put an end to the sale of sub-standard milk in Kerala.

Karunakaran

Thiruvananthapuram

Issue public notice

Kerala is a consumer State and depends on its neighbouring States for almost everything, including food grains, cereals, vegetables and milk.

Today, the market, especially in rural areas, is being flooded with adulterated and sub-standard milk. The milk is mixed with toxic adulterants to enhance shelf-life and increase quantity. Hotels and restaurants use such milk, as it is economical. The Government should ban adulterated and sub-standard milk and issue a public notice listing the banned brands. Such banned brands should not be sold in the State. A strict vigilance at check-posts is mandatory. Cess should be collected from the brands certified fit for consumption. It should be made statutory to print the percentage purity on the packets.

The consumers should be vigilant and buy only BSI marked packets. The health wing of the local bodies should be strengthened to check the purity of milk. The service of voluntary agencies can be utilised in this regard.

Shreya A.S

Thiruvananthapuram

Conduct campaigns

The check-posts on the borders should be equipped with quality monitoring systems to guarantee the flow of standard merchandise to the State. Consumers should buy milk from legitimate booths, which are constantly checked for quality. Campaigns should be conducted to create awareness among the public. They should be told whom to approach in case the milk is adulterated or sub-standard. The Government should provide public platforms, such as consumer adalats, to get feedback from the consumers and initiate necessary steps.

Anila V.B

Thiruvananthapuram

Strategy needed

Although the authorities conduct periodic tests on various brands and announce the results in newspapers, there is no concerted effort to create awareness among the public. As a result, gullible consumers continue to patronise spurious brands. A two-pronged strategy of regulatory vigil and sustained consumer education will help to prevent the flow of low quality milk into the State. The Government too should take up the matter with the neighbouring States and ensure that the factories that produce unhygienic milk are closed down and the people who run them are punished. Unless such steps are taken, adulterated milk will continue to be sold in Kerala.

The various residents' associations in the State can play a key role in creating awareness regarding the need to boycott spurious brands. To a large extent, lack of a ready market will, in itself, serve as disincentive to those who send poor quality milk into the State.

V.N. Mukundarajan

Thiruvananthapuram

Increase production

The inadequacy of the Government's milk agency has prompted other private organisations to enter the industry. As with all private firms, the motive of these companies is making profit. The huge demand for milk in our State and the lack of supply, coupled with an inefficient milk collection system, has led to the sale of adulterated milk. It is not easy to detect spurious stuff, as physical properties, such as taste, colour and viscosity, of milk do not change immediately on adding adulterants. But the shelf life of adulterated milk is less and it curdles fast. The Government should take immediate steps to prevent its sale.

The collection of milk from dairy farms and individuals should be made efficient. Steps in this regard include making the collection process hassle-free and avoiding delay in payment. In the future, sanction for private firms to supply milk should be restricted. Existing facilities should be subjected to `surprise' inspections.

Failure to satisfy the norms should lead to immediate cancellation of licence. Moreover, the public should be made aware of the problem. There should be provision to report any instance of adulterated milk. The import of milk from other States cannot be stopped, all of a sudden, unless domestic production increases.

Vishnu Menon M

Thiruvananthapuram

Impose restrictions

The Karnataka Government has imposed certain restrictions on the marketing of milk from neighbouring States. The Kerala Government too should control the import and export of milk and milk products. The local authorities should take necessary action. The Government should punish those found to misuse the facilities of stock and supply of milk by adulterating it by some means. Consumers and residence associations can do the needful to curb the sale of spurious milk with the help of the authorities.

P. Sankaranarayanan

Kochi

Mobile squads

The supply of adulterated milk is on the rise in Kerala. Lack of strict quality tests is a key reason for the unprecedented supply of sub-standard milk in the State. The Government should crack down on the erring milk vendors and evolve effective mechanisms to stop the supply of spurious milk from neighbouring States.

Mobile squads should be set up and strict licensing system introduced to check the supply of adulterated milk. Frequent laboratory tests should be made compulsory and continuous monitoring mechanism arranged.

Devadas K. Nair

Aluva

Cause for concern

The free inflow and consumption of spurious and sub-standard milk is a major cause for concern. Consumers should be selective and quality conscious while buying milk and related products.

People should buy popular brands with quality certification. Concerted efforts by NGOs, officials, media and the local bodies are the need of the hour.

N.K. Vijayan

Kizhakkambalam

Thiruvananthapuram

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