Chennai. Food Safety Department officials in Madhavaram, Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, sealed a protein powder shop on charges of selling mother’s milk. A senior official gave this information. According to the official, the shop owner had taken a license to sell protein powder, but he was allegedly selling mother’s milk. A 50 ml bottle of mother’s milk was being sold for Rs 500 from this shop.
During the raid, about 50 bottles of breast milk were seized from the shop on Friday. Last week, the Central Licensing Authority had received a complaint that breast milk was stocked for sale in Madhavaram. The official said, “We found breast milk packed in bottles. The samples have been sent to the laboratory for testing.” During the raid, the officials found mobile phone numbers of people who donated breast milk.
The district food safety officer said, “We have sealed the shop and will initiate action for violating the rules in this case.” This is the first time that breast milk is being sold in Chennai and this incident happened soon after the ban on the sale of breast milk in Karnataka.
The country’s food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had warned against unauthorized commercialization of mother’s milk in an advisory issued on May 24. The shop owner later told reporters that he was buying mothers’ milk out of a spirit of service.