Chennai: Two days after alleging that the suit filed by three private milk producing companies was a blackmail action intended to threaten him, Tamil Nadu milk and dairy development minister K.T.Rajenthira Balaji on Friday informed the Madras high court that the lab test proved that the milk manufactured and sold by two of these three companies along with another were substandard.
Counsel for the minister produced the copies of the lab test results before Justice C.V.Karthikeyan, when the suit filed by Hatsun Agro Products, Dodla dairy and Vijay dairy and Farm products came up for hearing on Friday.
In their suit, the companies sought a direction to the Minister to pay Rs 1 crore each as damages for accusing the private companies of adultering milk with noxious chemicals including formaldehyde.
The counsel produced certificates of analysis by the referral food laboratory, signed by Dr.G.P.Sharma, Director, Referral Food Laboratory, Ghaziabad (UP) in respect of Dodla Full Cream Milk, Arokya Full Cream Milk and Vijay Full Cream Milk. In the certificate, It was opined that sample of these three does not conforms to the standards laid down under Regualtion 2.1.1.1.of Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) regulations, 2011, as the sample shows fat content below the minimum prescribed limit.
The sample was thus substandard under section 3 (1) (xx) of FSS Act. The judge posted to August 1, further hearing of the case.
