With the demand for milk and milk products spiralling during the week ahead of Onam, the Dairy Development department and Food Safety offices have stepped up vigil, collecting samples daily and analysing them to ensure that milk reaching buyers adhere to the prescribed standards and is not adulterated.
A special drive of the Dairy Development department is on (September 10 to 14), and samples of all milk brands are being collected and sent for tests as part of it. The public can, as usual, take samples to be tested, according to an official.
Six special squads are keeping a vigilant eye on the milk market situation in Ernakulam. Besides milk, Payasam and oil too have received special attention from the Food Safety authorities. The department collects around 20 samples daily for analysis. There are at least 20 brands of milk and different variations in the market.
Meanwhile, district panchayat president Manoj Moothedan has called upon the authorities to ensure the quality of milk supplied. M.T. Jayan, president of the Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, said steps had been initiated by the authorities to ensure that the milk available in the market met the standards.
Mr. Moothedan said that the only way to combat adulteration of milk was to achieve self-reliance in milk production.
According to the Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, Milma expects demand for 56 lakh litres of milk, eight lakh packets of curd, and 80,000 kg of ghee in Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam and Thrissur districts during 10 days of Onam — from Atham to Thiruvonam day. Preparations were complete to make around 120 products, such as 75 types of ice creams (including sugar-free ice cream and sugar-free Peda), five types of Peda, and various types of paneer and Palada available in the market this season, Mr. Jayan said.
