Maharashtra FDA to build digital portal for milk traceability in anti-adulteration drive

The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to implement end-to-end traceability of milk through a large-scale digitisation initiative. The project aims to link milking records with identification details of milch animals, allowing authorities to verify actual milk production and detect adulteration more effectively.

State FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe told The Hindu that the initiative is in its early stages. "We have started a project to start a portal. All the milk collection centres will have to upload their data on that portal. The portal will be made, managed and monitored by the FDA," he said.

The portal will be integrated with the National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM) database, which already contains information about livestock across the country. By matching data from both systems at the back-end, the FDA hopes to identify discrepancies between reported milk output and actual collection. "This data will not be available to the dairies or at the front end. This will help us understand and catch adulteration," Mundhe explained.

The FDA has been intensifying its crackdown on food adulteration in recent months. It has banned the sale of analogue paneer in the state for one year, restricted junk food sales in and around schools, and conducted numerous raids on restaurants and eateries. The agency has also expanded its testing capacity, though some establishments have challenged the actions in court, calling them harsh and legally questionable.

Currently, milk collection centres and dairies are required to maintain records of accepted and rejected milk. The new portal will make this data available in real time to the FDA. The agency is preparing a detailed project report, which is expected to be submitted within a few months. However, the system will take time to develop and test before becoming operational.

"The biggest challenge for us is tracing milk to the milch animal. Unless we can do that, we will not be able to completely annihilate adulteration," Mundhe said. He noted that such traceability is feasible and has been implemented in other countries.

Under the NDLM, animals are tagged with unique identification numbers, and farmers are expected to update records regarding their livestock. The FDA intends to use this data to calculate expected milk yield from a given animal or region and compare it with actual collection figures. This will help identify anomalies that may indicate adulteration or diversion.

Explaining how adulteration occurs, Mundhe described a common cycle: "When the farmer milks the animal, the milk has to reach the chilling centre within two hours. Once the milk is stored without chilling beyond two hours, its acidity increases. To neutralise that, adulteration starts. It is a practice that milk dairies collect only once in a day. Then what happens to the milk which is milked at night? That is how the role of neutraliser comes in and adulteration begins."

He added that water is often added to increase quantity, and other substances are used to boost fat content. The proposed digital system aims to break this cycle by ensuring timely collection and monitoring of milk output right from the source.

The initiative is part of a broader effort by the state FDA to strengthen food safety and protect public health. While challenges remain, including the need for farmer cooperation and infrastructure, the project holds promise for significantly reducing milk adulteration in Maharashtra.