New Delhi:
Mother Dairy and Amul intend to take up testing of lead to ensure the safety of milk, even as they felt processes in collecting samples were being overlooked by "over zealous" officials.
At a media interaction organised here by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) with officials of Amul and Mother Dairy on Tuesday, the companies said sampling and testing systems will be strengthened to ensure quality milk reaches their customers.
In a reply to a question on the official food regulator's testing standards, Mother Dairy Managing Director S Nagarajan said: "We need to work on the processes and testing mechanisms along with FSSAI. State-level food authorities have been over zealous to collect samples."
RS Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, the manufacturer of Amul, said proper testing mechanisms and standards were important even for the companies.
Nagarajan also said that heavy metals which haven't been tested so far in milk, will be tested from now on after FSSAI's new draft regulations dated August 1 which specify restrictions on arsenic and copper. The Mother Dairy chief said tests will also be conducted for lead.
"Automatic testing machines will be installed right at the village-level collection centres to check for detergents or other contaminants," said T Nanda Kumar, chairman of NDDB, the state-run institution that owns Mother Dairy.
These machines will check for any adulteration at the initial stages itself, he said, adding that some 1,000 of these machines will be installed in the next six months at village collection centres. Investments, the officials said, will also be made in cold chains.