New Delhi: Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain, on Friday, said that as many as 21 samples of milk, out of the total 165 tested, were found to be of sub-standard quality. He added that those which failed the tests included prominent brands like Amul and Mother Dairy. The drive, which started on April 13, also took three samples of ghee for testing, and found one (of a local brand) “unsafe.”
“The issue was raised in the Assembly and I gave directions to test samples of milk in Delhi. We have taken a total of 177 samples across Delhi including branded and local products. The reports of 165 have come out. Of these, 21 samples (including Mother Dairy and Amul) have failed for their sub-standard quality. This, however, does not mean they are unsafe,” Mr Jain said.
Talking about ‘sub-standard,’ Mr Jain said it can mean two things — one, it is fake (unsafe) and second, it does not meet the prescribed requirement (safe but falls short of some content, like fats for example). Most of the failed samples, during this drive, were found to be adulterated with milk powder, he added.
“All cases will be submitted to the court. The drive will continue and will be extended to all milk products. Earlier, there were four food inspectors. Now, 18 have joined for the drive,” he said, adding that parameters mentioned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India were followed during the drive.
Mr Jain said that in case of sub-standard milk there would be a penalty ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 5 lakh. However, it won’t be the case if a product is found to be unsafe, he said.
“In case of unsafe product — like a sample that was found unsafe in ghee — there may be imprisonment for 6 months to 3 years,” added minister Jain.
