9.9 pc milk samples unsafe for consumption: Govt

A nationwide survey on milk adulteration by the FSSAI found 39 per cent of milk samples to be non-compliant with reference to quality parameters while 9.9 per cent were found to be unsafe for consumption, the government told Parliament Tuesday.

The National Milk Safety and Quality Survey 2018 broadly suggests that milk in India is largely safe, said Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

He said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had initiated the Nationwide Qualitative Screening of milk samples for on-spot qualitative and quantitative analysis of milk samples for quality parameters like fat, solids-not-fat (SNF), added water, protein content and safety parameters including adulterants, antibiotics and pesticide covering around 1,100 towns across the country.

The survey was initiated in May 2018 with a sample size of around 6,000 samples for qualitative analysis and 1,800 samples for quantitative analysis.

The interim report of the National Milk Safety and Quality Survey 2018 was released on November 13.

"As per the interim report, about 39 pc of milk samples were non-compliant with reference to quality parameters (fat, SNF, sugar and maltodextrin) but were without any safety issues. Only 9.9 pc samples were found to be unsafe for consumption.

"Thus, National Milk Safety and Quality Survey, 2018 broadly suggests that milk in India is largely safe," Choubey said.