In Tamil Nadu, private dairy firms scramble to control damage after minister alleges adulteration

Towards the end of May, a strong statement by Tamil Nadu’s State Dairy Development minister Rajenthra Balaji left the producers and consumers of milk across the state unsettled.

Alleging that several private milk companies mix chemical preservatives in milk to increase its shelf life, Balaji said, “Milk sold by private dealers is definitely adulterated. The milk that is banned in Kerala is being sold in Tamil Nadu according to my investigation.”

The minister made these comments during a speech at a function in Chennai on May 24.

Balaji’s logic was that since regular, pure milk curdles within six hours, and private companies sell milk that lasts for more than a day, they were certainly adding preservatives. He went on to add that these chemicals could cause cancer among children – a statement that has caused worry and panic among consumers. However, he claimed that the milk produced by the state-run cooperative Aavin was “as pure as mother’s milk”.

These statements kicked up a controversy among private milk dealers, who accused the minister of generalising the allegations of malpractice. But Balaji was adamant. “If they prove that there is no chemical [mixed with milk], I am ready to resign, ready to get hanged,” he said. “Can they prove that there is no chemical?”

Enquiry into allegations

The minister also announced that samples of milk from private companies in the state were being sent to a laboratory in Pune for adulteration tests.

Following Balaji’s statement, advocate AP Suryaprakasam filed a Public Interest Litigation in the Madras High Court seeking a CBI inquiry into the adulteration of milk by private companies. The court directed the government to file a status report on the matter within two weeks, and has scheduled another hearing on June 19.

On June 5, government authorities informed the court that a panel was being formed to probe into the allegations of milk adulteration, reported The Hindu.

According to reports, the minister said that while some firms did not indulge in adulteration, many samples analysed in state laboratories tested positive for formaldehyde, which is used to embalm corpses in medical colleges and mortuaries.

Food-testing laboratories in Chennai confirm that formaldehyde is usually present in milk samples brought to them, but say this was allowed up to a prescribed limit by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. “Preservatives are added to the milk for it to last longer, but if it is over a certain limit it can be harmful,” said BV Hariprasad of Sargam Laboratories in Chennai.

Private companies alarmed

Private dairy companies were spurred into damage control mode after the minister’s comments. Hatsun Agro Products Ltd, a dairy brand that owns around 32% of the market share, held an emergency press conference where its Chairman and Managing Director RG Chandramogan attempted to assure consumers that their milk is free of chemicals.

“Our milk undergoes 42 tests from procurement to delivery stage to ensure highest standards are met for our consumers,” reads the press note. “Our milk is regularly sampled and tested by the Government FSSAI [Food Safety and Standards Authority of India] authority on a regular basis in Tamil Nadu and other states.”

While admitting that there was no doubt that milk adulteration must be curbed, Ponnusamy SA, the founder and president of Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Employees Welfare Association, questioned why the minister was targeting only private dairies.

Ponnusamy said that the milk supplied from the state-run cooperative too must be tested since Aavin also produces milk that is packaged in tetrapacks that undergo sterilisation treatment using hydrogen peroxide, which the minister claimed was contaminating milk. Ponnusamy also said that Aavin milk takes over a day to be transported, processed, packaged and supplied to consumers – and questioned Balaji’s claims that Aavin did not use preservatives.

However, the Managing Director of Aavin, C Kamaraj, told The New Indian Express that within a few hours of milking, the cooperative maintained the milk at 40 degrees Celsius to prevent the growth of microbes, and distributed it within 12 hours of procurement.

Ponnusamy pointed out that the timing of the minister’s statement was suspect. “Since 2012, we have been asking the Tamil Nadu government to seriously take up the issue of milk adulteration in private companies as well as Aavin,” he said. “We have been asking them to go on a weekly raid. But after all these years, they want to suddenly take up the issue.”

In another food-testing laboratory Chennai Mettex Lab, managing director VK Selvakumar said that if government authorities such as the public health officer conducted frequent quality checks in hotels and milk companies, such controversies would be avoided.