"Urea in milk, detergent in ice cream": Raghav Chadha sounds alarm on food adulteration in India
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Wednesday raised the serious issue of food adulteration in the country. He described it as a major health crisis that poses a serious threat, especially to children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
Speaking in Parliament, AAP MP Raghav Chadha accused companies of selling harmful products under false claims of being healthy and energy-boosting.
He explained in detail how dangerous substances are added to everyday essentials. He explained that if you buy milk, it contains urea; vegetables contain oxytocin; cheese contains starch and caustic soda; ice cream contains detergent powder; fruit juices contain synthetic flavors and artificial colors; cooking oil is mixed with machine oil; spices contain brick powder and sawdust; tea is mixed with synthetic colors; and poultry products contain anabolic steroids. Even sweets that should be made with pure ghee are made with vegetable oil and Dalda.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha further explained that a mother gives her child a glass of milk, believing it will provide calcium and protein for their health, and that her child will grow up healthy. But she has no idea that she is feeding her child milk laced with urea and detergent. He cited a research study that showed that 71 percent of milk samples contained urea and 64 percent contained neutralizers such as sodium bicarbonate.
He said that the country does not produce as much milk as is being sold. The vegetables we buy thinking they are a treasure of health are injected with oxytocin and then sold fresh. Oxytocin is a dangerous chemical that causes diseases like dizziness, headache, heart failure, infertility and cancer. He said that 25 percent of the samples tested between 2014-15 and 2025-26 were found to be adulterated, which means that one in every four samples was adulterated.
He further said that products manufactured in India but banned internationally, including products of two major Indian spice companies banned in the UK and across Europe due to cancer-causing pesticides, are still being sold openly in India.
He lamented that products that are not even safe for pets abroad are being consumed without a second thought here. He proposed strengthening the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) with adequate staff and laboratory facilities, increasing financial penalties on violators, introducing a public recall system to name and shame adulterated products, and banning misleading health claims in advertisements.