70% of Indian milk adulterated with urea and detergent

Food safety is a problem that affects every consumer's physical and mental health. In recent years, the quality of dairy products in China has been burgeoning. From melamine scandals to carcinogens exceeding standards, each and every one of them will frighten consumers. In India, milk is essential for most people on the dinner table, but adulteration in milk has reached an alarming point. According to "The Times of India," reported on January 10, the average adulteration rate of milk in India is close to 70%, and black-hearted traders use raw materials such as urea and detergent as raw materials for making fake milk, and milk accounts for only a small part.

Nearly 70% of milk adulteration India is the world’s largest producer and consumer of milk. India’s current milk production reaches 105 million tons. Since many Indian residents are accustomed to vegetarian diets, milk has become a major source of protein for them.

Recently, the Indian Food Safety and Standards Administration randomly sampled 1,791 samples from 33 states and territorial jurisdictions across the country and found that the adulteration rate was as high as 68.4%, including adulteration in 5 states including West Bengal and Bihar. The rate was 100%. Even in the capital New Delhi, of the 71 samples of milk that were randomly selected, 50 adulterated products were detected. This shows that up to 70% of the milk consumed by New Delhi citizens is unqualified.

Indian health authorities said that the adulterants detected this time included “conventional” blends such as water, glucose, and skimmed milk powder, as well as chemical substances such as detergents, glycerin, and urea. Milk accounted for only a small portion. In addition, the healthy environment for making milk is not optimistic.

According to local officials, the detergent ingredients contained in milk may be left by dairy workers when cleaning containers filled with fresh milk; the reason why urea is detected in milk is because urea can increase the nitrogen content in milk. The nitrogen content is one of the main indicators for testing protein content in milk.

The production of fake milk at a cost of six cents per kilogram is equally shocking. In the small villages near the capital, New Delhi, every day after midnight, there are activities to produce fake milk. The production cost of such milk is only 5 rupees per kilogram (about 6 renminbi) and it costs 300 rupees. Can produce 60 kilograms of milk.

Blackheart merchants not only produce fake milk, but also reduce the cost by adding acid to the real milk to separate the oil and make the milk lose its nutritional value. The fat from the milk can be made into edible oil, which in turn can bring wealth to the black-heart traders. They mix the fat-ejected milk with ordinary milk and put it on the shelf again.

Doctor Sharma said: "The chemical substances contained in these milks cannot be decomposed by the human body. Once in the body, they can cause liver and kidney poisoning. These fake milks threaten consumers' health and even their lives."

It is reported that the government is currently conducting an in-depth investigation on this matter in order to find out which part of the milk production happens specifically in adulteration. According to a person from the Indian Dairy Association, adulteration of milk has actually penetrated every link from production to sales.

Adulteration of adulterants is not only prohibited in order to prevent adulteration of milk. In recent years, India has introduced advanced equipment to detect the quality of milk. It has also amended relevant laws and strengthened penalties for adulteration of milk and other actions that endanger food safety, but the effect is not effective. ideal. From 2006 to 2007, there were a total of 78 cases of adulteration of milk in India, involving 19 private dairy companies and 5 corporate brands. The adulteration of milk in 2008 caused dozens of students to become poisoned and six children died. The Indian Consumers Association complained that domestic regulators did not implement routine inspections to ensure food safety.

In general, India has a strict quality control system for regular shops. The most prone to problems are all in open-air free markets or in small shops in rural areas. These products are generally Produced by some small manufacturers, the quality is not guaranteed, but the price is cheap, and it is easily welcomed by low-income people.

These consumer markets for low-income people are very large. Counterfeit foods also occupy a considerable share of the low-end market. There is demand for supply, so naturally there are people who take the risk and seek profits.

The Times of India stated that the phenomenon of adulterated food is common in India. The government should not only increase the amount of fines, but also increase penalties to include the death of malignant food poisoning as soon as possible.