In a massive breakthrough for the Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA) against adulterated and subpar food items, around 10,000 litres of adulterated milk worth ₹4.17 lakh, held from Palanpur and Gandhinagar, have been destroyed today.
Suspected adulterated cheese and paneer in huge quantities are also confiscated by the department, said FDCA commissioner Dr HG Koshia.
Dr Koshia added that an FDCA team received a tip-off that a suspicious consignment of milk was being transported in a tanker on the Palanpur-Banaskantha route.
Its scrutiny landed the department on a massive proportion of maltodextrin powder-adulterated milk.
This milk consignment was supplied to a Palanpur-based firm to meet its requirements for its milk products.
11 samples of the milk were taken by the department in the presence of firm owner Laxman Modi. While 4,781 litres of milk worth ₹1.68 lakh were destroyed on the spot.
Gandhinagar-based Gamdiwala milk processors were found to be the suppliers of this consignment. This firm was also searched by the FDCA’s Gandhinagar team.
They found maltodextrin powder in adulterated milk during this operation as well.
Eight samples, including seven of milk and one of maltodextrin powder, were collected by FDCA in the presence of the firm’s manager, Mahendra Shukla. While 5,000 litres of milk worth ₹2.5 lakh were destroyed.
The cheese and paneer products at the unit were also found to be suspicious. Two samples of cheese and one sample of paneer were taken by the department.
307 kg of items worth ₹82,976, suspected to be adulterated cheese and paneer, were confiscated.
Legal action will be taken after the analysis report of these items deems them unhealthy, said Dr Koshia.