3 weeks ago
Maharashtra FDA chief reveals synthetic milk made with shampoo
Some people in India were secretly making fake milk.
They mixed skim milk powder with chemicals, caustic soda and even shampoo to make it look and feel like real milk.
A food safety officer named Tukaram Mundhe investigated and found out how the fake milk was being made.
He said making fake milk costs less than real milk, so people add it to normal milk and sell more of it to make money.
The fake milk could be added at farms, milk collection centers and chilling centers before reaching dairies.
Drinking these chemicals can make people sick, causing stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhoea.
Over time, it can hurt the stomach, liver and kidneys, and babies, pregnant women and older people are most in danger.
Officer Mundhe says the best fix is to track every drop of milk from the farm to the shop using computers and special ear tags on cows and buffaloes.
He also wants the people making fake milk to be punished as serious criminals, and experts say only laboratory tests can truly confirm if milk is fake.
Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe detailed an ongoing investigation into alleged synthetic and chemical milk production during an interview with FoodPharmer.
The alleged operation involved two people — one supplying skim milk powder and the other supplying chemicals, emulsifiers, caustic soda and shampoo to bind it.
Mundhe said adulteration reportedly occurred at the farmer level, milk collection centers and chilling centers before the milk was supplied to dairies.
He called the practice 'absolutely illegal' and 'another death racket,' noting synthetic milk is cheaper to produce and economically viable when added to normal milk.
Experts said consuming adulterants such as detergents and caustic soda can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and long-term damage to the digestive system, liver and kidneys, with infants, pregnant women and older adults most at risk.
- Who
- Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, health experts Dr Adithya V. Naragund and Dr Jagadish Hiremath, and two individuals who allegedly supplied the skim milk powder and chemicals.
- What
- An alleged synthetic and chemical milk production operation using skim milk powder, chemicals, emulsifiers, caustic soda and shampoo to create counterfeit milk that was mixed with normal milk and sold.
- Where
- Maharashtra, India — at the farmer level, milk collection centers and chilling centers, with the milk ultimately supplied to dairies.
- When
- The investigation was carried out 'a few days back' before the interview; no specific date was given in the article.
- Why
- Because producing chemical milk is cheaper than genuine milk, making it economically attractive to add to normal milk to increase quantity and profit, while posing serious public health risks.
Key facts
- Regulator
- Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Commissioner
- Tukaram Mundhe
- Alleged ingredients
- Skim milk powder, chemicals, emulsifiers, caustic soda, shampoo
- Production cost
- Synthetic/chemical milk ~Rs 50; Buffalo Standard milk ~Rs 30
- Market price of cow milk
- Rs 40 to Rs 50
- Adulteration points
- Farmer level, milk collection centers, chilling centers
- Proposed solution
- Digital traceability, farmer records, and ear-tagging of animals via the National Digital Livestock Mission portal
- Health risks
- Stomach discomfort, vomiting, diarrhoea, throat irritation; long-term digestive, liver and kidney damage
Quotes
Tukaram Mundhe
Commissioner of Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration
“We did an investigation on this a few days ago. We found out the parallel production of synthetic and chemical milk. There were two people working in parallel. One was supplying so‑called skim milk powder. The other was supplying the chemicals and emulsifiers to bind it together with skim milk powder. Then there was caustic soda, and there were other products, including shampoo, that were used.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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