Protesters in India dump suspected adulterated dairy cargo on road
Demonstrators called for urgent action by the administration, regular checks on delivery vehicles and criminal proceedings against illegal food producers. The protests followed repeated complaints about counterfeit dairy supplies in markets along Odisha’s coast. Residents seized the consignment during the interception of a commercial transport vehicle.
Chhena is an ingredient in Odia sweets including chhena poda, rasagola and rasabali. It is made by applying heat and acid to milk to separate the curds. The article links the production of synthetic substitutes to shortages during festivals and periods of religious tourism, when demand in pilgrimage centres such as Puri exceeds local milk output. It describes adulteration practices involving palm oil, starch used in industry, detergent-derived foaming substances, urea and toxic chemicals used to coagulate mixtures. These ingredients are used to imitate the fat and protein characteristics of milk-based products.
Conventional chhena production involves bringing whole milk to the boil and adding citric acid, sour whey or lactic cultures. The resulting curd contains milk’s casein proteins and butterfat. Synthetic or adulterated versions, by contrast, can contain inexpensive skimmed-milk powder mixed with vegetable fats and chemical thickening agents. Screening at wholesale transport checkpoints can involve several methods: chemical test strips, starch detection using iodine and portable refractometers. The article identifies these as tools for checking consignments for added oils, neutralising substances and artificial solids before distribution to confectioners and households.
The article also describes commercial pressures on compliant dairy businesses. It says illegal producers have substantially lower operating costs than private dairies and co-operatives meeting the requirements of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). According to its account, cheaper synthetic supplies undercut wholesale prices for genuine milk and chhena, reducing purchases from organised dairy businesses. It also links counterfeit products to declining consumer confidence and disruption of agricultural pricing.
Among the enforcement measures advocated in the article are unannounced inspections along wholesale distribution routes, systems that make tampering with product traceability evident, and compulsory testing certificates for clusters of commercial sweet producers. The proposed measures involve municipal officials and district food inspectors, alongside quality checks on goods moving through the wholesale network.
At the production end of the supply chain, small dairy farmers in Odisha face expenses for feed grain and veterinary services, as well as climate-related interruptions to forage availability. The article says counterfeit dairy fats sold in consumer markets put downward pressure on the prices paid to farmers for milk, limiting their returns from daily production. It presents action against illegal synthetic-dairy operations as a means of supporting rural milk-producing households and protecting the safety and authenticity of regional dairy foods.
