Your milk is a mish-mash

CHENNAI: The picture of a cow on most milk sachets you buy may be deceiving: Most milk manufacturers in the country, including Tamil Nadu government-run Aavin, sell standardised milk that is usually a mix of buffalo and cow milk. Some private manufacturers even add goat or camel milk, depending on availability. Even milk products such as ghee, butter, cheese and sweets are made from milk that comes from different sources.

"We use very little buffalo milk," said an Aavin official. "We standardize all the milk before selling because it comes from different herds and farms across the state," he added.

Blended milk is not a major health concern, except for people who are allergic to a particular animal fat. Officials at the National Dairy Development Board in Anand, Gujarat, say that Indian manufacturers now focus on varieties such as slim, toned, double toned and full cream milk.

"This is a global scenario as well. But the difference between products in India and some developed countries like the US, UK and Australia is that that the manufacturers here are not bound by law to mention the source of milk. Most products abroad will mention the source along with the ratio of blend," said a senior official from the National Diary Research Institute.

In India, the Food Safety Act mandates manufacturers to mention the variety of milk but the source is optional. In each category, there are specific nutritional values -- full cream milk has 6% fat, slim milk has 1.5% fat and toned has 3.5%. If the manufacturers choose to mention the source, then they should ensure that prescribed standard is maintained.

For instance, fat in buffalo milk is 6%. When the milk is diluted with water, the fat level drops. Some milk vendors dilute it and sell it as cowas milk. "It is common in rural areas. We found that nearly 40% of the milk sold is diluted or misbranded," said Dr Ganesan, joint director, Directorate of Public Health, Tamil Nadu.