No adulteration, milk supplied in Bengaluru safe: Tests

Bengaluru: Complaints of milk adulteration and mixing of chemicals are often reported creating tension among the public. But people in Bengaluru need not worry, as Nandini brand of milk, processed by the government-run Karnataka Milk Federation, is absolutely safe, according to a lab result.

The results of milk samples collected from different parts of the state, including Bengaluru, in October and November 2016, have revealed that milk samples from both organised and unorganised milk suppliers have passed the lab tests. This means that no trace of adulteration has been found in the milk supplied in Bengaluru. The tests were conducted in different labs to get authentic results.

Mr Subodh Yadav, commissioner, Department of Health and Family Welfare, who is also the Food Safety Commissioner, said that all the milk samples collected from Bengaluru and Mysuru have passed the tests. “These samples were collected as part of a national drive against milk adulteration,” he said.

Mr Yadav said that 70% of the samples collected from Belagavi region have failed the lab tests, while 20% of the samples collected from Hubballi region are adulterated. “Another surprising finding is that all the milk samples collected from Kalaburgi region too have cleared the tests,” he said.

“In June and July, another round of sample collection will be done. This will give us a clear picture,” he said.

Mr Yadav, who had chaired a state-level steering committee on milk adulteration on Friday, said that his department will soon come out with a comprehensive mechanism to check all kinds of milk adulteration in the state. “Soon, we are going to notify an action plan on checking milk adulteration. This includes how the people can lodge complaints against adulteration, sample collection etc,” he said.