The Hindu Business Line : Amul claims to follow strict labelling norms

THE butter that you buy in June may have already been manufactured in January, but it would be perfectly safe to consume it, assure top Amul officials.

Describing the discovery of butter packets bearing a March 2005 manufacturing date at one of its cooperative units as a "human mistake", the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Manufacturing Federation (GCMMF) says that the company takes adequate care to ensure that quality products reach the consumer.

GCMMF is a federation of different dairy cooperatives in Gujarat and owns the Amul brand.

"To the best of our understanding, it was a mistake on the part of one of our employees. We are awaiting the report of the state FDCA (Food and Drugs Control Administration) and necessary action will be taken," Mr Ram Singh Parmar, Chairman of the Kheda District Milk Producers' Union, where the butter packets bearing the wrong date of manufacture were picked up by the Gujarat FDCA on Tuesday, told Business Line.

Dairy industry experts say that it was common practice for the industry to produce different milk products and then release them in the markets as the demand arose. "The milk production peaks in winter months. As it is easier to produce table butter at the time when the milk is being processed, it is common for companies to store the finished product in bulk and pack it according to demand," says a dairy expert who did not wish to be named.

The GCMMF Chief General Manager, Mr R.S. Sodhi, however, denies that Amul was putting an advance date of manufacturing on its products. "We put the exact date of manufacture on the label. You will find in summer months products that do not carry a very recent date of manufacture. That is due to the seasonal nature of the industry. Moreover, we recommend a one-year shelf life from the date of manufacture as against two years in most European countries," Mr Sodhi said.

The company does not release stocks into the market that have a less than three month "best before" period and the consumer should not buy products that have already crossed the date.

"Normally, the stocks stay with the retailers and distributors for less than 10 days. We ensure that stocks reach the retailer with a sufficient cushion. The consumers can be rest assured on the issue," Mr Sodhi says.

In fact, the effort to ensure that the products reach the consumer much before the "best before" date involves a huge logistical challenge for all companies.

"For us, it takes nearly 45 days to ship our products to our distribution godown at Silchar in Assam. Yet, we sell butter in Assam at the same price as in Gujarat and make sure that the stocks reach well in time," Mr Sodhi says.

Agrees Mr Ganesh Nayak, Executive Director of pharmaceutical and healthcare products company Zydus Cadila. "We follow all international norms including the Current Good Manufacturing Practices or CGMP. We even take into account the date of manufacture of the APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients) and excipients. You cannot fudge around with these figures," says Mr Nayak.

Normally, companies voluntarily follow norms that are more stringent than the mandatory requirements, he says, adding that it presents the biggest challenge of logistics before the manufacturers.

"We cannot export any products that have less than two-thirds shelf life left. In some countries, it is mandatory for the products to have over 80 per cent shelf life at the time they land. For the domestic market, we have now reduced the shelf life to a maximum of three years for our products that have a normal shelf life of four years," Mr Nayak says.

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