Nestle India and Reliance Retail have refuted the allegations of Dairy Development Minister K.T. Rajenthra Bhalaji that their dairy whiteners contained caustic soda and bleaching powder.
In separate statements, the companies said their products were safe to consume and did not contain any of the substances mentioned in the media reports. Reliance also said the claims of adulteration were based on reports from a laboratory that was not accredited by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
In a statement, Nestle said: “We have come across some media reports alleging that our product Everyday Dairy Whitener contains caustic soda and bleaching powder. This is totally untrue and incorrect. We strongly disagree with these reports. We are investigating these claims and have not received any formal notification from the authorities about such test results.”
‘Focus on health’
Similarly, Reliance Retail said that it “categorically rejects recent media reports alleging that Reliance’s Dairy Whitener contains unsuitable ingredients like caustic soda and bleaching powder. We reassure that at Reliance Retail, we give utmost importance to quality of products and well-being of our consumers. Reliance’s Dairy Whitener is completely safe for consumption and does not contain any of the substances mentioned in the media reports.”
Reliance further said that “the media reports seem to be based on the results of testing by Chennai Mettex Lab Pvt Ltd., which is not one of the laboratories accredited by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India established by the Government of India which deals with all matters relating to food safety and standards.”
Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Milk Dealers Employees Welfare Association president S.A. Ponnusamy has called for an independent enquiry by a high court judge or an IAS officer into the alleged adulteration of milk and milk products being sold in the State.
