Most milk sold in India poisonous, finds food regulator

11 Jan 2012

1

Most of the milk sold in India is unsafe to drink, a study by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India has found.

Water, of course, is the age-hallowed diluter. Other adulterants include starch, salt, glucose – and even pure poison like detergent powder and urea, apart from pesticides and heavy metals.

In its survey of 33 states, the official watchdog found that 68.4 per cent of 1,791 milk samples examined were contaminated.

The relatively prosperous urban India fared worse than the relatively poor rural districts. Nearly 70 per cent of samples from cities were found to be contaminated, compared with 31 per cent in rural areas.

In Delhi, 50 of 71 samples were found to be contaminated with glucose and skimmed milk powder. In other states and territories, detergent, fat, urea and water were found in 68.4 per cent of the samples.

Not a single sample out of 250 examined in West Bengal, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Mizoram conformed to standards.

Latest articles

Carmakers explore energy storage, but claims of major pivot and write-downs are overstated

Carmakers explore energy storage, but claims of major pivot and write-downs are overstated

Government advances Dholera semiconductor hub, but timelines and scale claims need caution

Government advances Dholera semiconductor hub, but timelines and scale claims need caution

South Korea’s AI chip push grows, but 2nm robotics claims remain premature

South Korea’s AI chip push grows, but 2nm robotics claims remain premature

India–Japan chip collaboration grows, but details around Axiro–EdgeCortix deal remain limited

India–Japan chip collaboration grows, but details around Axiro–EdgeCortix deal remain limited

Post-splashdown: What Artemis II taught us about the ‘deep space wall’

Post-splashdown: What Artemis II taught us about the ‘deep space wall’

Carmakers explore energy storage, but claims around Ford and GM pivot remain overstated

Carmakers explore energy storage, but claims around Ford and GM pivot remain overstated

Tesla’s robotics push continues, but Shanghai “Optimus mass production” claims remain unconfirmed

Tesla’s robotics push continues, but Shanghai “Optimus mass production” claims remain unconfirmed

VinFast eyes India growth, but details around VF MPV 7 launch remain unverified

VinFast eyes India growth, but details around VF MPV 7 launch remain unverified

Breaking the engine barrier: HAL and GE move forward on F414 co-production deal

Breaking the engine barrier: HAL and GE move forward on F414 co-production deal