For most Indian households, milk remains a daily staple and a symbol of nutritional security. However, recent enforcement actions reveal a troubling reality: a significant share of the country’s milk supply fails basic quality and safety standards.
According to reporting by Business Standard, authorities in Sabarkantha, Gujarat, uncovered an illegal dairy unit that diluted 300 litres of real milk into nearly 1,800 litres of synthetic milk every day. The operation allegedly used detergent, urea, and caustic soda and supplied nearby villages for almost five years. The scale and duration of the activity point to systemic enforcement gaps rather than isolated misconduct.
Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, the Enforcement Directorate raided nine properties linked to a dairy exporter accused of using 63 forged laboratory certificates. Investigators allege that adulterated milk products were shipped to Bahrain, Singapore, Oman, and the UAE. This case highlights how domestic quality failures can escalate into international trade risks.
Structural Weaknesses Behind Adulteration
Although enforcement agencies continue to crack down on violations, adulteration persists due to fragmented procurement systems, limited farm-level testing, and weak traceability. In many regions, informal supply chains dominate milk collection, making quality oversight inconsistent and reactive.
Moreover, pressure on margins driven by rising feed costs and volatile farmgate prices creates incentives for dilution and chemical substitution. As a result, consumer trust erodes, while compliant farmers and processors face unfair competition.
Why Transparency Is No Longer Optional
Importantly, these incidents coincide with data suggesting that nearly one in three milk samples nationwide fails quality tests. Without digital traceability, routine testing, and accountability at each stage, adulteration remains difficult to detect early.
In contrast, emerging premium and traceable dairy models demonstrate that transparent pricing, farmer incentives, and technology-enabled testing can improve both safety and incomes. Therefore, strengthening quality assurance is not only a public health priority but also an economic necessity for India’s dairy sector.
Implications for Policy and Trade
As India expands dairy exports and negotiates trade partnerships, food safety scrutiny will intensify. Repeated quality lapses risk reputational damage and potential market access barriers. Consequently, regulators must accelerate reforms around testing infrastructure, certification integrity, and supply chain digitisation.
Ultimately, restoring confidence in milk requires shifting from enforcement-led responses to prevention-driven systems that reward quality and penalise fraud decisively.
