DigitEye India Fact Checkers
A social media post is being shared with a claim that the World Health Organisation (W) has issued an advisory to the Government of India stating that 87% of the population in India will suffer from cancer by 2025 due to adulterated milk. The message is being circulated in several languages including Hindi, Kannada and Telugu. All the translated versions read similar as:
“World Health organization 87 percent of Indians will get cancer in 8 years! The WHO has issued an advisory saying that by 2025, 87 percent of Indians may be a victim of cancer. The advisory issued by the World Health Organization states that there is adulteration of milk sold in Indian markets. This milk. There is a risk of cancer from drinking. If this adulteration is not controlled, then a large population of India will be vulnerable to cancer. Sold in India 68. 7 percent milk adulterated.”
When we checked for the claim, similar posts have been shared since 2017, as seen here and here. Another similar claim says that the Animal Welfare Board members have informed the government that 68.7 per cent of milk or milk products sold in the country fail to adhere to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) standards.
Though India is leading milk producer in world ~19% of global m &INR 10527billion’s dairy industry, yet 2 out of 3 Indians drink adulterated milk-GOVT LSabha,68.7% milk/&products defy FSSAI-E.Times, adulterated milk-87% Indians would face serious diseases like cancer by 2025-WHO
— PK SINGH (@PKS0403666) June 1, 2020
Shared on twitter, the message claims that “Though India is leading milk producer in world ~19% of global m & INR 10,527 billion’s dairy industry, yet 2 out of 3 Indians drink adulterated milk – GOVT L Sabha,68.7% milk/&products defy FSSAI – E.Times, adulterated milk-87% Indians would face serious diseases like cancer by 2025 – WHO”, which combines all the claims put together and also gives the source reference as WHO, Government’s LS question, and ETimes.
FACT CHECK
The Digiteye India team found some basic anomalies in the text. It reads, “This milk. There is a risk of cancer from drinking”, whereas it should read: “There is a risk of cancer from drinking this milk.” When the team checked the WHO website for any such report, we found a denial by the global health organisation already issued:
WHO, in its press note, clearly said: “Contrary to reports in a section of media, WHO would like to state that it has not issued any advisory to the Government of India on the issue of adulteration of milk/milk products.”
Even the Indian government’s Press Information Bureau(PIB) FactChecks clarified on October 18, 2022 that WHO had not issued any such advisory to the Government of India.
क्या विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन ने एडवाइजरी जारी कर कहा है कि भारत में उपलब्ध दूध में मिलवाट के कारण 8 सालों में 87% भारतीयों को कैंसर हो जाएगा❓#PIBFactCheck
▪️ नहीं ‼️
▪️ यह दावा फ़र्ज़ी है।
▪️ @WHO ने ऐसी कोई एडवाइजरी जारी नहीं की है।
🔗https://t.co/F1LYhcWQEn pic.twitter.com/1zXkgpHboH
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) October 18, 2022
On November 22, 2019, the then Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan confirmed the same in parliament and clarified that the WHO had not issued any such advisory. On another query about the claim that 68.7% of milk and milk products sold in India fail to meet the FSSAI standards, the minister relied to a parliamentary question stating:
“The 2018 Nationwide Milk Safety and Quality Survey conducted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) indicated that only 7% (456 out of a total of 6,432 samples) contained contaminants (antibiotics, pesticides, and aflatoxin M1) that render milk unsafe for consumption. Moreover, only 12 out of the total samples showed adulterants impacting the safety of milk. These 12 samples comprised 6 samples adulterated with hydrogen peroxide, 3 samples adulterated with detergents, 2 samples adulterated with urea, and one sample was found to have a neutralizer,” the minister informed the Lok Sabha. Hence, the claim is false.
Claim: WHO advisory – 87 percent of Indians will get cancer in 8 years (by 2025) because of adulterated milk
Conclusion: False, both WHO and the Government of India denied and FSSAI survey shows only 7% of milk in India is adulterated.
Rating: Misleading — 
