A month back, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department in Thane had collected 81 samples of milk from Mumbai and Thane division after there were complaints about adulteration.
After analysing the samples, it was found that six well-known companies are involved in this act. According to an officer from FDA, Thane, case has been registered against Vasundhara Dairy (Amul), Gujarat Co-op Milk Federation, BG Chithale, Mahananda Dairy, Khopoli government milk scheme, and Kolhapur District Co-op Milk Distribution Group Ltd (Gokul).
Suresh Deshmukh, joint commissioner FDA Thane, said, "We had taken samples from Mumbai and Thane and found that 55 samples from Thane were adulterated and remaining – from Mumbai – contained added sugar. If any diabetic drank this milk it would affect his health. An FIR has been registered in the respective police stations where these retailers are based."
He added, "Action will be taken against the firm found guilty. We also plan to hold meeting with distributors and union members of the firms to discuss this issue and curb this menace."
Dipika Pingale, a resident of Charai from Thane city, said, "Till now we were not aware how retailers add sugar in milk. We were under the impression that since cow eats sugarcane, the milk is sweet."
A doctor from Thane civil hospital said, "If sugar is added in milk, it will definitely affect health of consumers, especially people suffering from diabetics. Regular consumption of adulterated milk can also affect nervous system, eyes, kidney and other parts of the body."
