The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 4 and 5 busted the network of formula milk made from shampoo, detergents and palm oil in five districts of Maharashtra and arrested 13 people.
“We did not stop at just acting against one fraudulent company, we acted against the entire supply chain network that includes distributors, transporters, brokers, refrigeration centers and processing centres.” FDA Commissioner Tukaram Munde said.
Simultaneous raids were carried out in five districts, including Thane, Ahilyanagar, Solapur, Jalna and Pune, and cases were registered against 26 people.
The US Food and Drug Administration also confiscated valuable shampoos, detergents, palm oil, emulsions, etc $1.48 crore, which was allegedly used to make milk. All these items are found originating from Manchar in Pune. More than 49 samples of adulterated milk were collected for examination.
FDA officials identified Sushant Hinge from Pune as the key leader and Sandeep Lodha served as his advisor.
The US Food and Drug Administration found that racketeers make formula milk and mix it with real milk before selling it to customers at a higher profit margin. Farmers, packing centers and cooling centers were also found to be involved.
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The Food and Drug Administration also revoked the food licenses of five companies and issued stop-work notices to five other companies.
“Milk is an inherent part of the daily diet of a family, including children, pregnant women, the elderly and the sick. Adulteration of milk is not just a criminal offense but a serious crime against society and no sympathy will be shown towards the accused,” the FDA Commissioner said.
The operation was conducted by a special team consisting of 30 food safety officers and 40 police officers.
The operation began with a tip-off followed by an investigation, supply chain mapping, joint raids, scientific evidence gathering and forensic investigations.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now investigating whether the racket was operating out of state.
