Karnataka: Tougher norms for sale of milk products

Bengaluru: In a major step that will keep milk producers on their toes, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced rigorous standards for milk and milk products to be commercially sold in the country.

In a notification on August 4, FSSAI has laid down stringent quality standards for milk and milk products. Strict quality norms have been prescribed for curds, khova, sweetened milk and ice cream.

Karnataka Milk Federation which markets the Nandini brand, as well as private producers such as Heritage, Dodla, Good Life etc will have to comply with these norms.

The standards cover a range of fresh definitions and standards including fat percentage, pasteurisation, boiling, milk products, additives, etc. The standards also apply to goat and camel milk.

For instance, the Minimum Milk Fat (MMF) content and minimum milk solids not-fat (SNF) content for buffalo milk in Karnataka is set at 5 per cent and 9 per cent respectively. For cow milk, the MMF is 3.2 percent SNF 8.3. Milk cannot be sold if the fat and SNF content is below the required percentage.

KMF sells mainly cow milk, although it markets buffalo milk in northern Karnataka.

In various types of milk marketed by KMF under its Nandini brand the fat content ranges from 1.5 percent in double toned milk, to 3.0 per cent in toned milk, 4.5 per cent in standardized milk, to 6 per cent in Full Cream Milk. 

This means that KMF will have to increase the MMF in its double toned and toned milk. The FSSAI’s new norms define ‘Milk’ as “…the normal mammary secretion derived from complete milking of healthy milch animal, without either addition thereto or extraction therefrom, unless otherwise provided in these regulations and it shall be free from colostrum.”

The quality standards apply to a host of milk products including cheese and processed cheese; chhana, skimmed milk Chhana and paneer; condensed milk sweetened and unsweetened; cream; curd, skimmed milk curd, dahi; ghee, butter oil; ice cream, infant milk food; khova; malai; milk derivatives such as whey proteins, casein, lactose; milk ices, milk lollies, kulfi; all kinds of skimmed milk powder, table butter and white butter; and yogurt.

As for ice creams, milk lollies and kulfis, the standards laid cover parameters such Total Solids Minimum, Weight minimum grams/litres, and milk protein.