National Milk Sample Safety Quality Survey

News:Food Safety and Standard Authority of India(FSSAI) has released the National Milk Sample Safety Quality Survey.

Facts:

Key takeaways from the survey:

• The survey has found that milk samples from Telangana followed by Madhya Pradesh and Kerala has shown the highest number of cases of adulteration.
• The problem of Aflatoxin-M1 is more dominant in processed milk than that of raw milk. 
• Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Kerala were the top states where the Aflatoxin-M1 was found maximum.
• In terms of quality, 7% of the total sample of processed milk did not comply with quality parameters because the presence of contaminants such as fats, Maltodextrin and sugar were above permissible limits. 

Additional information:

About Aflatoxin-M1:

• Aflatoxins are toxins produced by certain fungi which are generally found in agricultural crops like maize, peanuts, cotton seed and others.They are carcinogenic in nature.
• It comes in the milk through feed and fodder that are currently not regulated in the country. 
• There is no proper lab to test this residue in the country.

Testing and sampling Scheme:

• To address the issue of testing,the government is instituting a scheme for testing and sampling for organised dairy players.It will be implemented from January 1,2020,
• The scheme stipulates sampling points during various stages of milk processing, test methods and frequency of sampling. 
• Organised players which include dairy co-operatives and private players, will need to have a well-equipped in house lab for testing and also will need to keep records of all tests conducted.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI):

• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is a statutory autonomous body under Food Safety and Standards Act,2006.It comes under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.
• FSSAI is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.