The Centre on Thursday termed “false” a media report that the WHO has issued an advisory to the government stating if adulteration of milk and milk products is not checked immediately, 87 per cent of citizen would be suffering from serious disease like cancer by 2025. In an official statement, the Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Ministry said the government is taking all possible steps to help supply of safe and good quality milk to the consumers.

“It has come to the notice of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying that a media report about a WHO advisory to the Government of India allegedly states that, if adulteration of milk and milk products is not checked immediately, 87 % of citizen would be suffering from serious disease like cancer by the year 2025,” it said. The dissemination of this kind of false information is creating unnecessary panic among the consumers, it added. The issue has already been examined in the department in consultation with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), it said.

“WHO country office in India confirmed to FSSAI that no such advisory has been issued by WHO to Government of India ever,” the statement said. The department said that this kind of false information being circulated on social media and on WhatsApp should not be given any credence whatsoever. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying and FSSAI are taking all possible steps to help supply of safe and good quality milk to the consumers across the country, the statement said.

Milk production in the country has increased from 146.3 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 221.06 million tonnes (66.56 crore litres per day) in 2021-22 with the annual Growth Rate of 6.1 per cent. The department had also conducted a study on demand of milk and milk product in India during 2019. As per the study, the total consumption at the all India level in 2019 was 162.4 million metric tonnes (44.50 Crore Kg per day) for milk and milk products.

Thus, milk production in the country is sufficient to meet the domestic demand, the department added. The quality of milk and milk products sold in market is governed by standards laid down and enforced by the FSSAI. In the last nationwide National Milk Safety and Quality Survey conducted by FSSAI, out of 6,432 samples of milk taken, only 12 samples (0.19%) were found adulterated that render the milk unsafe for human consumption. “While, this is a concern it is far from the perception that liquid milk in the country is largely adulterated,” the statement said.

Source : Good returns Jan 20th 2023 sourced from PTI