Coliform Bacteria Claims Against Leading Dairy Brands Reignite Debate Over Dairy Safety in India

In early February 2026, a video uploaded by independent testing platform Trustified sent shockwaves through Indian households. The channel claimed to have conducted blind microbiological tests on pouch milk from some of the country's most trusted dairy brands, Amul, Mother Dairy, and Country Delight, and the findings were deeply unsettling. 

According to Trustified, Amul Taaza recorded coliform bacteria levels of 980 colony-forming units per millilitre (CFU/ml), and Amul Gold showed 25 CFU/ml, both far exceeding the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) prescribed limit of just 10 CFU/ml. Mother Dairy performed worst, with a Total Plate Count (TPC) of 2,40,000 CFU/ml, nearly eight times the permissible threshold of 30,000 CFU/ml. Country Delight, which aggressively markets itself on a "farm-to-home" promise of freshness, fared little better, recording a TPC of 60,000 CFU/ml, double the legal safety limit. Only one product, Amul's Tetra Pack UHT milk, passed all parameters cleanly. 

Till now, none of the brands have given any comments or clarifications on the same. This though was not the first alarm bell. In January 2026, Trustified had similarly flagged Amul's Masti Dahi, with coliform levels reportedly thousands of times above acceptable limits, a claim Amul firmly denied. Amul also issued the most detailed rebuttal, describing the viral videos as "an attempt to spread misinformation and create unnecessary fear among consumers," and asserting that its products fully comply with FSSAI standards and undergo more than 50 stringent internal quality checks. 

What Is Coliform Bacteria, and Why Does It Matter?

Coliform bacteria are microorganisms commonly found in soil, water, and animal waste. Their presence in milk is not automatically indicative of dangerous illness, but it is widely used as a marker for poor hygiene, contamination during processing, or a breakdown in the cold chain. In India, coliforms frequently originate from cow dung during manual milking, particularly where hygiene practices are poor, which is precisely why milk has always been intended to be boiled before consumption.

When coliform levels breach FSSAI limits, it signals that sanitation standards may not have been properly maintained at some stage between the cow and the consumer. The health consequences of elevated coliform exposure range from mild gastrointestinal discomfort, nausea, stomach cramps, and diarrhoea, to more severe foodborne illness in vulnerable groups such as young children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems. Importantly, boiling milk may reduce bacterial load but does not destroy toxins that bacteria may have already produced. 

Experts consistently advise that UHT or Tetra Pack milk, which undergoes ultra-high-temperature processing, remains the safest option when microbial contamination is a concern. Brands have pushed back: Amul has maintained that its products comply with FSSAI norms, and questioned the handling and methodology of the independent tests. To date, FSSAI has not issued an official response confirming or refuting Trustified's findings.

A Broader Crisis on India's Plates

The milk controversy is one thread in a far larger and more troubling fabric. In January 2026 alone, police and food safety officials in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh busted illegal dairy units allegedly producing adulterated milk. The FSSAI confirmed that 1,370 litres of unsafe milk was destroyed on the spot.

In early February 2026, AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha raised the issue directly in Parliament, describing food adulteration as a "nationwide health emergency." He cited data suggesting that over the past decade, 25 per cent of all food samples tested had been found non-compliant, and alleged that a staggering 71 per cent of milk samples in some studies contained urea, while 64 per cent had neutralisers such as sodium bicarbonate. He cited further examples of spices laced with brick powder, honey diluted with sugar syrup, and chicken containing anabolic steroids. 

In July 2025, FSSAI had already seized over 4,000 kilograms of adulterated paneer across multiple states, with unlicensed facilities found using starch, synthetic fats, and even detergents. Beyond dairy, eggs sold by Eggoz Nutrition were reportedly found to contain traces of AOZ, a banned veterinary drug. 

Trustified also flagged eggs sold by Eggoz Nutrition in December 2025, reporting traces of AOZ (3-amino-2-oxazolidinone), a banned antibiotic metabolite linked to long-term cancer risks. Eggoz pushed back robustly. Founder Abhishek Negi declared, "No antibiotics, banned or otherwise, are ever used on our farms. This is our life's work," attributing any trace of AOZ to environmental contamination from feed, water, or soil rather than intentional use.

In a public comment on Trustified's own Instagram, Eggoz pointed out that the detected level of 0.73 µg/kg was actually below FSSAI's permitted environmental residue limit of 1 µg/kg. The company also published NABL-accredited laboratory reports showing no banned substances, and committed to further independent testing. FSSAI subsequently directed its regional offices to collect and test egg samples from brands nationwide, but had not, as of writing, issued findings. 

The scale of all these controversies taken together underscores a systemic problem, not a series of isolated incidents.

Regulation, Trust, and the Road Ahead

Responding to questions in Parliament, the government stated that food safety authorities conduct targeted enforcement drives across states, supported by 246 accredited food testing laboratories, 24 referral labs, and over 300 mobile "Food Safety on Wheels" units. In December 2025, FSSAI launched a nationwide enforcement drive targeting adulteration and misbranding across the entire dairy supply chain, from collection centres to retail shelves. New product amendments that came into effect in February 2026 tightened standards across edible oils, meats, and packaged drinks. Yet public confidence in the regulator remains fragile. 

A multi-district public health survey found that nearly 73 per cent of respondents expressed little or no faith in authorities' ability to ensure food safety. Social media campaigns such as the viral "Khurpenchi Abhiyan" on X have called out FSSAI for being reactive rather than preventive. Consumer groups are demanding real-time supply chain tracking, public inspection dashboards, and mandatory third-party audits. 

For now, the most practical advice remains simple: boil pouch milk before drinking, opt for UHT packaging where possible, and check FSSAI licence numbers on every product. India is the world's largest producer of milk, a fact that makes the state of its dairy safety all the more urgent to address.