Minister alleges Nestle, Reliance milk powders contain harmful chemicals

Companies deny charge, find support from Union Minister Pon Radhakrishnan

Tamil Nadu's Minister for Milk and Dairy Development K T Rajenthra Bhalaji has alleged that two private dairy majors -- Nestle and Reliance -- have been supplying milk products containing hazardous chemicals such as caustic soda and bleaching powder, a charge both companies have denied.

The Minister claims to have checked milk, milk powder and other milk products made by various companies in a laboratory in Chennai.

Exhibiting the packages of the two products -- one from Nestle, the other from Reliance Dairy Products -- Bhalaji said that the result from the lab has confirmed the presence of adulterants in the products.

Asserting that the chemicals are harmful to health, he alleged that he received threats to his life after an earlier comment that private dairy producers are selling adulterated milk and milk products in the state.

"I am not saying all the private dairies are bad," Bhalaji said, denying allegations that he had received money to comment against these private companies.

He said that he did not have the powers to ban these products as it was the job of the State Food Ministry and regulators, to whom the lab report was forwarded.

."If I had the power, I would have banned the products yesterday itself," said the Minister on Wednesday.

Nestle has denied the allegations made by Bhalaji against its product Everyday Dairy Whitener, stating they they were totally untrue and incorrect. The minister had claimed that the product contained caustic soda and bleaching powder,

"We are investigating these claims and have not received any formal notification from the authorities about such test results," said the company.

Nestle added that it strongly disagreed with these reports and confirmed that Everyday Dairy Whitener was 100 per cent safe for consumption. It added that the finished product and the raw materials undergo rigorous testing at every stage and only once the product is found to be in compliance with all parameters, is it released for sale to consumers.

Reliance Dairy Foods, which is a part of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Retail, has "categorically" rejected the allegation that its dairy whitener contains unsuitable ingredients such as caustic soda and bleaching powder.

"We reassure that at Reliance Retail, we give utmost importance to quality of products and well-being of our consumers. Reliance's Dairy Whitener is completely safe for consumption and does not contain any of the substances mentioned in the media reports," said company's spokesperson.

The reports seem to be based on the results of testing by Chennai Mettex Lab Pvt Ltd, which is not accredited by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), said the spokesperson.

Bhalaji had earlier raised a similar allegation, without naming any private firm, following which a test was conducted in the Central Food Laboratory in Pune. Reports were that there were no toxic ingredients in the milk samples sent by the Government of Tamil Nadu to the laboratory.

The Minister claims that later, a test was initiated by another group in a Chennai lab, which has came out with result showing that the milk power contained caustic soda and bleaching powder.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan said that the minister should have stopped the sale of the said products if he was so sure they were adulterated. If it is a local product, it should have been stopped from manufacturing and if it is a product from outside, the central government should have been alerted immediately. He also brushed away the allegation that Balaji was threatened after he spoke against the private firms.