Spurious milk used in sweets

KOLKATA: Investigation into the adulterated milk case has revealed that it was used for preparing sweets at several shops in the city.
Police said they found evidence that milk powder — prepared in Haryana — would be mixed with the dairy milk produced here. Detergent was mixed freely to increase the whiteness and “purity”.
The gang had been operational for years. “They knew sweets that need cottage cheese will be difficult to prepare using such adulterated milk.Hence, it was used to produce items like rasmalai,” a cop said. Three persons were arrested from Sealdah Bhaithakhana Road recently for selling adulterated milk.
Enforcement branch officers said the gang had direct link with the Burrabazar group that was busted earlier.
“It will take some more time, but we will arrest the others. Just like the sustained campaign against spurious ghee, the drive against adulterated milk will continue. KMC officials have pitched in and checks were carried out across the city on Saturday,” an officer said.
“Most restaurant owners claim they make food from ghee prepared using ‘pure milk’. But prima facie, this claim seems hollow with several reports proving the opposite. We are going to probe these cases seriously,” an officer said.
India has long struggled with adulterated food and milk. Almost 70% of the 1,791 samples taken nationwide were contaminated or watered down, according to a report. Out of 33 Indian states, non-fat adulterants were found in all the milk samples from West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand.
“Choose a reputed shop to buy sweets. As a customer, you must understand that someone who is giving you cheaper products might be using spurious raw material,” Suresh, a sweetshop owner, said.