Mumbai: Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe has revealed disturbing details of an alleged synthetic milk racket, stating that substances such as shampoo, caustic soda, emulsifiers, chemicals, and skimmed milk powder are being used to manufacture fake milk that closely resembles genuine milk while costing significantly less to produce. Speaking on a recent podcast, Mundhe said synthetic milk can be produced for around ₹15 per litre to imitate cow milk and approximately ₹30 per litre to resemble buffalo milk, creating strong financial incentives for adulteration.
According to Mundhe, adulteration occurs at multiple stages of the dairy supply chain—including farms, milk collection centres, and chilling centres—before the milk reaches processing units or is converted into products such as paneer, curd, sweets, tea, and coffee, making detection increasingly difficult. Since assuming office as FDA Commissioner on May 25, 2026, the department has intensified enforcement by conducting more than 20 inspections daily across Maharashtra, uncovering parallel production lines for synthetic milk and seizing large quantities of suspected adulterated products.
Mundhe emphasised that traceability is the most effective long-term solution, enabling authorities to identify the source of every batch of milk through stronger record-keeping, digital tracking, and modern testing technologies. He said improved supply chain transparency, combined with stricter enforcement and technology-driven monitoring, is essential to protecting consumers and strengthening confidence in India’s dairy sector. (The Economic Times)
Source: Dairynews7x7 05 Aug, 2026 Read full story here
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