Anand (Gujarat), Apr 1 (PTI) A misconception is being spread about milk consumption citing lactose intolerance while analogue dairy products are promoted in the name of veganism as part of a “well-planned” agenda in India, a Union government official said on Tuesday.
The official pointed out that every Indian grew up drinking milk without facing any lactose intolerance, but the propaganda against milk is affecting the market.
Dairy analogues are non-dairy products that mimic dairy products, often using plant-based ingredients, and are becoming increasingly popular due to factors like lactose intolerance and vegan diets.
Alka Upadhyaya, a secretary in the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Government of India, urged all the stakeholders to focus on milk quality to counter this agenda.
The IAS officer addressed national and international delegates during the inaugural session of “The ICAR Annual Conference & IDF/ISO Analytical Week 2025” at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Anand.
“Despite awareness among consumers, some people are trying to bring bad quality milk into markets. Moreover, there has been propaganda, a well-planned agenda, wherein analogue dairy products are being propagated in the name of veganism. Youngsters are being influenced to quit milk citing lactose intolerance,” Upadhyaya said.
She said, “Every Indian grew up drinking milk without facing any issues such as lactose intolerance, but today, propaganda against milk is affecting the market”.
“A misconception is being spread about consuming milk in the country,” Upadhyaya said while urging stakeholders to concentrate on milk quality to counter these claims.
Upadhyaya allayed concerns over antimicrobial resistance (AMR) bacteria in milk which poses a risk to human health.
She said the presence of AMR in milk is “negligible” in India and on par with international standards.
“A lot of things are talked about AMR and how AMR in milk form is consumed by humans. In India, I am happy to share that AMR content is negligible, almost on par with the European standards,” the official said, adding that the domestic sector will have to challenge such “facades”.
Speaking with media persons later, Upadhayaya said ‘Amul’ is already running a campaign to counter the propaganda discouraging milk consumption.
“Some nutritionists are also educating people about the benefits of milk,” she added.
NDDB chairman Dr Meenesh Shah said Amul (Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation) will soon launch a social media campaign to promote milk and associated benefits.
According to Shah, analogue food products use vegetable fats instead of milk fat which makes it difficult for consumers to detect the difference as these products are usually not branded.
“The best way to counter such products is to ensure that the maximum amount of milk comes into the organised sector for producing branded milk products,” he said.
The conference was organised by the International Committee for Animal Recording (ICAR), NDDB, International Dairy Federation (IDF) and Indian National Committee of the IDF (INC-IDF) in collaboration with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). PTI PJT NSK
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