JAMMU, July 6 (KNS) : Every morning, millions of Indian households pour a glass of milk, unaware that what they drink may be far from pure. Across the country, a silent but deadly crisis is unfolding: milk adulteration, a menace that has grown beyond alarming proportions, threatening public health on a scale that can no longer be ignored.
According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Survey (2019), a staggering 68.7% of milk samples tested across India were found to be adulterated, laced with water, urea, detergent, caustic soda, starch, glucose, maltodextrin, hydrogen peroxide, formalin, melamine, and other hazardous substances. Six years on, the situation has shown little signs of improvement.
India, the world's largest milk producer, generates millions of litres of milk every single day. Unlike a decade ago, when milk and dairy products like curd and cheese were available only for a few hours a day, today's market offers them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Yet, this very abundance has become a double-edged sword — with supply chains growing more complex and oversight becoming harder to enforce.
In Punjab, a state once synonymous with agricultural pride and food quality, the crisis has reached breaking point. The latest FSSAI data reveals:
-47%** of milk, cheese, and dairy products tested over the past three years have failed safety standards
-A total of 1,915 samples were collected, out of which 902 were found adulterated
-In 2024–25 alone, 255 out of 531 samples did not meet regulatory standards
-In the tri-state region of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, nearly 22% of milk samples analysed over three years were non-conforming to food safety norms
Nationally, the toll is devastating. In 2024, 1,122 people died due to food poisoning in India — with food adulteration being cited as one of the primary causes.
In one of the most shocking cases to emerge in recent memory, police in Sabarkantha, Gujarat — one of India's leading dairy-producing states — uncovered a factory that had been manufacturing synthetic milk and buttermilk for nearly five years using a cocktail of dangerous chemicals. Workers at Shree Satya Dairy Products had been secretly blending Laundry detergent, Urea- based fertilizer, Caustic soda, Refined palm oil, Soybean oil, Whey powder, Skimmed milk powder. For years, hundreds of unsuspecting residents in the Sabarkantha and Mehsana districts had been consuming this toxic concoction — putting their lives at grave risk.
The human cost of food adulteration cannot be overstated. Just months ago, 16 persons died in Andhra Pradesh due to milk adulteration, with dozens more hospitalised and fighting for their lives.
Health experts warn that long-term consumption of adulterated milk is directly linked to cancer, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and serious stomach and liver disorders.
Even trusted household brands have not escaped scrutiny.
Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelIn a landmark development, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh refused to quash criminal proceedings against representatives of Banaskantha District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Ltd — associated with the iconic Amul brand — in a case related to an allegedly unsafe milk sample detected in the Union Territory.
Additionally, the J&K Food Safety Department last year banned the sale, storage, and distribution of nine commonly used Ghee brands, after laboratory tests confirmed adulteration across all nine products.
In fact, the J&K's Food Safety Department is doing More With Less. Despite operating with a shortage of testing laboratories, mobile testing vans, and enforcement personnel, the Food Safety Department of Jammu & Kashmir has carved out a commendable record in recent years.
The department has successfully checked milk adulteration to a measurable extent within the UT, prosecuted major milk and dairy product suppliers found selling unsafe products. However, the food safety advocates agree it is not enough. The focus, they argue, must shift urgently from high-profile cases to grassroots-level enforcement — targeting the countless local, unregulated milk dairies that operate largely unchecked across the region. Food safety experts and public health advocates are calling for immediate, multi-pronged action.
Here is what they say must be done - Launch a J&K-wide Campaign against food adulteration on the scale of the well-known Nasha Mukti Abhiyan targeting milk and dairy products at both the source and the market level, Mandatory Checks at Entry Points. All milk and dairy products being transported into J&K from other states must be screened at border checkpoints including Lakhanpur and railway stations. Empower the Food Safety Department with strict, updated laws carrying stringent penalties for those caught adulterating milk and food products.
Expand Testing Infrastructure. Set up additional modern testing laboratories and deploy more mobile testing vans across all districts, including semi-urban and rural areas. Increase Manpower. Recruit and deploy sufficient enforcement staff, especially in districts currently underserved. Farm-to-Table Traceability — Implement robust food traceability systems to track milk from the farm to the consumer's table, with regular inspection at every stage.
The milk that sustains millions — newborns, children, the elderly — should never become a vehicle for poison. Food adulteration, especially milk adulteration, is not just a regulatory failure; it is a crime against public health. The time for half-measures is over. India needs a zero-tolerance policy, backed by modern infrastructure, empowered agencies, and the political will to act decisively. The glass of milk on your table deserves to be exactly what it says it is — pure, safe, and nourishing. (KNS)