Firm accused of supplying rotten milk

Firm accused of supplying rotten milk

Students at Ban Nam Lee school in Nan province throw away the spoiled milk. (Photo by Rarinthorn Petcharoen)
Students at Ban Nam Lee school in Nan province throw away the spoiled milk. (Photo by Rarinthorn Petcharoen)

Lampang-based U. M. Food Product Co Ltd supplied rotten milk to students at Ban Nam Lee School in tambon Ping Luang of Nan's Na Muen district, a probe has found.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives said on Tuesday said its probe panel found the company supplied milk which had gone off. It also found that U.M. Food Product Co is not a member of the quality school milk producers club. The company had earlier been caught supplying milk that had gone bad to schools in Mae Hong Son's Muang district.

The Bangkok Post tried to contact the company yesterday but nobody picked up the phone.

The ministry set up a panel chaired by deputy director of the Dairy Farming Promotion Organisation of Thailand (DPO), Suchart Jariyalertsak, to look into the matter.

On Monday, teachers at the school told the media most of the milk in cartons had gone off and students could not drink it even though its expiry date is marked as Feb 21 next year.

Wimol Jantrarotai, the ministry's spokesman, said Mr Suchart, who is also secretary to the Milk Board, was instructed to come up with measures to prevent the problem happening again. 

Mr Wimol said the ministry also ordered the company to explain the matter within three days. However, he did not say what penalty the firm might face if the ministry finds it to be in the wrong.

Mr Wimol said the ministry had contacted the Public Health Ministry's Food and Drug Administration to send their officials to check on the quality of the rest of the school's milk.

The milk was under the government's project offering free milk to young students nationwide, which is supervised by the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry.

About 20 milk distribution and production companies take part in the project.

Mr Suchart told the Bangkok Post the company must provide him with an explanation.

Mr Suchart said in principle any company found supplying rotten milk to a school must retrieve and replace it as soon as possible.

If the company ignores the DPO's order, the body would submit the case to the Milk Board for punishment to be meted out.

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