Dairy diaries: Milk, paneer worst hit by adulteration, says dept
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Most of these are of milk and dairy products.
According to the health department, of the 324 samples taken from January to June, reports of 299 have been received and 25 are pending. Data suggests that of the total samples, 158 were of milk and dairy products like ghee, paneer, curd, khoa, and lassi, whereas 166 were of other foods like masala, dals, fast food-related articles, dry fruit, sweets, etc.
A total of 62 of the 299 samples for which the health department received reports, failed.
Of 158 milk and dairy product samples, 48 failed tests. Of 166 other food articles, samples of 14 failed.
Among dairy products, 28 out of 76 samples of paneer, collected from January to the end of June, failed. Seven out of 11 samples of curd also failed. Of the 34 samples of milk, eight failed.
Speaking to TOI, district health officer (DHO), Dr Amarjeet Kaur, said that they had increased sampling in view of the ongoing monsoon season and the upcoming festival season.
She added that drives were being carried out to ensure that people consumed clean and safe food.
When asked about action taken in case of failed food samples, the officer said that if unhygienic conditions were found at the place where food was prepared, served, or stored, challan was issued to the vendor on the spot. If the food sample taken was found to be substandard, the department filed a case in the court of the ADC (additional deputy commissioner), after which a fine was imposed.
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If the food sample was found to be dangerous for consumption, the department filed a case in the court of the CJM (chief judicial magistrate) and punitive action was taken. The DHO said that in 35 cases decided by the ADC court from September to the end of June, a fine of Rs 10 lakh was imposed on vendors. She added that they had filed two cases in the CJM court, and 10 more were in the pipeline.
Health officials warned vendors against storing or selling adulterated food articles and said that legal action would be taken against defaulters.
Testing milk at home
Yogesh Goyal, food safety officer in Ludhiana, shared a quick method to detect water adulteration in milk. He explained that placing a spoonful of milk on a plate and tilting it can reveal its purity. If the milk leaves a visible trail or imprint, it is likely pure and contains the proper fat composition. If no line is left behind, the milk may be adulterated with water.
For other types of adulteration, Goyal said the department's mobile food testing van operates across Ludhiana 25 days each month, offering doorstep milk testing for just Rs 50.
Additionally, agencies like Gadvasu, PAU, and the dairy development board (DDB) have developed affordable testing kits priced at Rs 100, which can be used for up to 10 tests.
Box 2: Staff, infra crunch
A health department official, asking not to be named, said that food safety teams have only one vehicle for six zones of the district. Therefore, they said, they can carry out raids at only one place. Sources said that there are four food safety officers in the district, of whom one is deputed from outside.
They emphasised the need to increase the number by two.
Box 3: Report in 14 days
An official said that since September last year to July end, the department filed 69 cases in the ADC court, and 15 unhygienic challans were issued. He added that after a sample was taken, it was sent to the food safety laboratory in Kharar, from where a report was normally received in 14 days. In special cases, the department receives the report in 24 hours.
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