[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t is without a doubt that readers not only in our State but throughout the country that the public have read of the alarming news that milk has been adulterated to a great and harmful extent. Nagaland has been ranked as being the sixth among 28 States and seven Union Territories that have high adulterants in milk.This follows the survey conducted by the top food standards authority, namely, the Food Safety and Standards of Authority if India (FSSAI )and the details of which have been released by the Centre in Parliament. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Ghulam Nabi Azad, said the survey was to ascertain the quality of milk throughout the country.
What is of immediate concern is that adulteration of milk in Nagaland is 86%. The only consolation, if at all, is that eight other States have 100% adulteration as per the survey. They are followed by others at 96%, 92%, 89% and 88%.
It may be recalled that Dimapur District Milk Producers Union (DIMUL) got the flak in March this year when a citizen found detergents, nitrate and pond water in locally produced milk products. Naturally DIMUL reacted against the test results and denied any adulterants in the milk products. KOMUL (Kohima District Milk Producers Union) seems to have been spared. The pity is that the State Health and Family Welfare shied away from the issue, according to reports in the local media.
Unfortunately, no data is maintained by the FSSAI for regulating, manufacturing, storing, distributing, selling or importing articles of food and to ensure safe and wholes some food for human consumption. The Central Government has made it clear that Sate Government authorities concerned ought to ensure food safety standards since the implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2008 rests with them.
Random samples of food items including milk are collected by food safety officers and sent to designated food testing laboratories for analysis. There are penal provisions against offenders whose samples do not conform to the provisions of FSS ((Food Safety and Standards) Act and Regulations.
Milk, as everyone knows but rarely ponder over, is the white fluid produced by mammals to feed their young. The milk of cows is used as a food and drink for humans. Milk-related products include butter, pure ghee, cheese, milk shake, milk chocolate, ice cream and biscuits plus other concoctions.
Related professions from milk have sprouted accordingly. For instance, a milkman is a man who delivers milk to houses but a milkmaid is a girl or woman who works in a dairy. ‘Milk round’ is a regular milk delivery along a fixed route—it also defines a series visits to universities and colleges by people from large companies looking to recruit students.
By contrast, a ‘milk run’ is a routine, uneventful journey; it was originally Royal Air Force (U.K.) slang for a sortie that was a simple as a ‘milk run’. But a milksop is a timid and indecisive person. And of course, the Milky Way is a galaxy of which our solar system is a part.
According to official sources, there is an outlay of Rs 1500 crore in the 12th Five Year Plan to strengthen the food regulatory system at the State level. In spite of breast feeding, dairy milk and milk products are consumed in very large quantities especially by children.
Hence the authorities concerned must become more proactive instead of waiting for adverse publicity in the media. Above all, the public in general must be even more alert in this regard.
