FSSAI Announces National Dairy Surveillance to Fight Tampering

In a bid to reduce the adulteration of dairy products across India, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will conduct pan-India surveillance. The FSSAI announced on Thursday that the surveillance will be carried out on a large scale and will involve the collection of samples from organized and unorganized sectors in all districts of the country. As part of the ongoing effort to curb dairy adulteration, the food authority will collect samples of products such as khoa, chenna, paneer, ghee, butter, curd, and ice cream.

“The rationale for choosing milk is due to its indispensable role in our food culture, either as a fresh liquid or as processed dairy products. Milk contains essential micronutrients and macronutrients. People of all age groups include milk or milk products in their daily diet. Changing lifestyles and increasing health awareness are major drivers for the growth of high-value milk and dairy products in India,” the food safety authority said.

FSSAI to Organize All-India Monitoring of Milk and Dairy Products

According to information shared by the food authority, the investigation will assess the compliance of the samples with quality and safety parameters. It will also identify adulteration hotspots in milk and dairy products and develop corrective actions.

The FSSAI has conducted five such surveillances on milk and dairy products since 2011

According to the official statement released by the FSSAI, the 2018 National Milk Safety and Quality Survey was conducted in all states and union territories. A total of 6,432 milk samples from organized and unorganized sectors were collected from 1,103 towns and villages with more than 50,000 inhabitants. The FSSAI also conducted the Pan-India Milk Products Survey, 2020 to assess the safety and quality of dairy products and desserts sold during festivals. A total of 2,801 samples of dairy products from organized and unorganized sectors (paneer, khoa, chhena, khoa-based desserts, and chhena-based desserts) were collected from 542 districts across the country.

In 2022, the FSSAI conducted a milk survey in 12 states, 10 of which had an incidence of lumpy skin disease (LSD) and two were controls. “In order to verify the safety of the milk, the presence of antibiotics, pesticide residues, and heavy metals was evaluated in the samples collected. The results of the survey revealed that the milk sold in the 12 selected states is largely safe for consumption,” he added.