Milk in India largely safe, quality issues persist: FSSAI
New Delhi, Nov 13: Milk in India is largely safe, even though quality issues persist, an interim report released by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said Tuesday.
The report of the National Milk Quality Survey, 2018, FSSAI said is by far the largest systematic study of milk, both in terms of sample size (6,432 samples) and number of parameters.
The study, found that, little less than 10 per cent samples (638) had contaminants (mainly from poor farm practices and quality of feed) that make milk unsafe for consumption, while over 90 per cent of samples were found safe, said FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal while releasing the interim survey.
"Milk in India is largely free from adulterants which render it unsafe for consumption. Merely 12 out of total 6,432 samples had adulterants that affect the safety of milk," he said.
The occurrence of such adulterants is statistically insignificant considering the sample size in the survey, he added.
The survey tested for 13 adulterants including vegetable oil, detergents, glucose, urea and ammonium sulphate.
Milk samples were also tested to check level of contaminants like antibiotic residue, pesticide residue and aflatoxin M1.
The FSSAI official, however did not specify samples from which part of the country contained adulterants.
He said the findings will be shared with stakeholders and state governments, and then preventive and corrective action would be taken to further improve the quality of milk in the country.
Agarwal said there is "no concern" at all due pesticides residues. Only 1.2 per cent of the samples failed on account of antibiotics residues above tolerance level and it was mainly due to oxytetracycline used to treat animals with bovine mastitis.
The survey found that non-compliance on fat and SNF (solid non fat) quality parameters is higher in raw milk (sourced directly from milkman) than processed milk.
"Non-compliance on quality parameters in processed milk is quite large, even though it is lower than raw milk. This is a matter of concern and needs to be addressed through various measures," Agarwal said.
He, however added that high percentage of non-compliance samples does not suggest that proportionate volume of processed milk is non-compliant.
Agarwal said, the survey provides solid baseline data and a robust framework for continuous monitoring of safety and quality of milk.
"Whereas there should be zero-tolerance to adulteration in milk, concerns of quality due to contaminants need to be addressed over a period of time by taking large scale awareness drive and public education," he said.
In 2011, FSSAI had conducted a quick survey of adulteration of milk through its regional offices. Another milk survey was attempted in 2016 through state food authorities.
Agarwal said the 2011 survey suffered from several drawbacks. It was based on 1,791 samples and focussed mainly on quality parameters rather than safety concerns. Only qualitative analysis was done and the survey did not include parameters related to contaminants.
The 'National Milk Quality Survey, 2018' panned 29 states and 7 union territories and 1,100 towns with population of over 50,000 were covered. It was conducted over about six months (May-October).
Only about 20 per cent of the milk sold in the country is processed milk.
Of the total 6,432, 41 per cent samples were from processed milk.
The milk was tested for residues of 18 pesticides in the survey, and only in one case, the pesticide level exceeded the minimum residue level permitted by FSSAI.
Also, Ammonium sulphate was detected in 195 or 3 per cent of the samples. Currently, FSSAI regulations do not prescribe any limits for ammonium sulphate in milk.
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Asaduddin Owaisi pays tribute to SM Syed Khalil, calls him great personality of Nawayat Community
Hyderabad: Hyderabad MP and AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi expressed his condolences on the passing of SM Syed Khalil, a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Bhatkal. In a tweet, Owaisi referred to Syed Khalil as “Khalil Bhau,” fondly acknowledging his significant contributions to the Nawayat community and his work for the poor and needy.
“My condolences to the family of SM Syed Khalil saheb. He was affectionately called as Khalil Bhau, a great personality from the Nawayat Community. He headed many social organizations and helped many poor and needy people. A great loss to the people of Bhatkal. Will miss you, Khalil Bhau,” Owaisi tweeted.
SM Syed Khalil, who passed away in Dubai early Thursday morning after a brief illness, was a respected leader in the Nawayat community and a source of pride for Bhatkal. Known for his extensive contributions to international trade, education, and social service, Khalil’s life was marked by a commitment to uplift the underprivileged and strengthen community ties.
Among his many achievements, Syed Khalil was the Founder Chairman of K&K Enterprises in Sharjah and played a pivotal role in the success of the Galadari Company in Dubai over three decades. He also served as the Chairman of Madhyama Communications Ltd., Mangalore, and was actively involved in promoting Kannada and Konkani languages and culture.
In Bhatkal, he was a guiding force behind institutions like Anjuman Hami-e-Muslimeen and Rabita Society, where he championed girls’ education and worked to improve opportunities for the community. His leadership, humility, and compassion earned him widespread respect, and his contributions extended far beyond Bhatkal, touching lives across Karnataka and beyond.
My condolences to the family of SM Syed Khalil saheb he was affectionately called as Khalil Bhau a great personality from Nawayat Community,he headed many social organisations helped many poor and needy people,great loss to the people of Bhatkal ,will miss you Khalil bhau pic.twitter.com/piHjCCRD5d
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) November 21, 2024
