Milma hoardings still carry banned 'fresh and pure' tag

...milk cooperatives across India allegedly use similar slogans

By Sachin Jose

KOTTAYAM: The hoardings set up by Milma here still display the banned “fresh and pure” tagline on their advertisements, which was to be removed on Oct 31 as per Kerala High Court order.

 The court had ruled that Milma (Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.) was defrauding consumers by declaring the content as “fresh and pure” as it actually produced skimmed milk.

   However, Milma removed only the tags on the sachets, but not those on the hoardings. Apart from the flex boards at the Milma Dairy here at Vadavathoor, various outlets and booths of the cooperation still display the banned tagline.

   Minister for Dairy Development and Milk Co-operatives KC Joseph said that he will look into the issue and take necessary action, while Dairy Development Department Director KT Sarojini said that she will discuss the matter with Milma authorities.

   An employee at a Milma drive-in parlour here in Changanassery, Stilin Edward, said, “These hoardings are provided by Milma and even the walls are also painted by them. They are responsible for replacing the flex boards.”

   Vadavathoor Dairy Manager Tom Thomas said that the law is discriminating Milma by not taking action against other milk co-operatives that liberally use similar taglines.

   “Many milk unions across India including Reliance Dairy Foods still use tags like “fresh and wholesome” as authorized by the National Dairy Development Board,” said Mr Thomas.

  Another official said that it is a step-by-step procedure and would take a month or two to replace the existing hoardings. “We have to ensure that all the hoardings are uniform and that the print matches with the colour code prescribed by the marketing department," he said.