The Public Ministry of Santa Catarina (MPSC) released the names of the companies involved in the investigation 'Milk adulterated III', which investigates fraud and adulteration of milk resold for human consumption in the state and also in Rio Grande do Sul. According to the agency, 11 companies, including dairy, agricultural and cooperative companies "are involved in the sale of chemicals, transport or in the direct adulteration of milk in the investigated rural properties and distributors".

The names of the organizations involved were disclosed on the MPSC website. According to the agency, the establishments are based in Cordillera Alta, Coronel Freitas, Formosa do Sul, Santa Terezinha do Progresso and São Bernardino, in western Santa Catarina, and in Iraí, in Rio Grande Sul.

According to prosecutor Simão Baram Júnior, from the Xaxim Justice District, who also works on the case, the verified companies added pure sodium, caustic soda, citrate and sodium peroxide to the milk. Chemicals, with high toxic content, altered the acidity and pH of the drink.

n MONDAY (20), the Special Action Group on Combating Crime Organization (GAECO) preemptively arrested 16 people in Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and one in paraná. 21 search and seizure warrants were also carried out in industrial units, homes and rural properties.

Owners, dairy managers and transport workers are suspected of defrauding the quality of raw milk by adding chemicals, which made up the original validity.

According to the prosecutor Carlos Alberto Galdino, of the Quilombo district, responsible for issuing the arrest warrants, all 16 people remained in detention until the morning of this Wednesday (22). Of these, 15 were imprisoned at the Chapecó Regional Prison and one was in the process of transferring from Cascavel, Paraná, to Chapecó.

The adulteration of milk has been investigated for six months and has the support of agricultural inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa / SIF). According to the prosecutor Fabiano Baldissarelli, in addition to the adulteration of milk, “signs of tax fraud, false documentation and even use of 'oranges' by the companies involved have already been identified”. He points out that the focus of the work is to investigate “frauds committed by transporters, dairy and cheese makers”.

Since Monday, testimonies have been taken from detainees, witnesses and others involved. The deadline for completing the survey is 10 days. Then, it will be handed over to the Ministry of Agriculture, which will be able to “take appropriate measures, such as interdiction of institutions, product traceability or even the recall of milk and dairy products”, informed the MPSC.

Two other operations

This investigation is called 'Leite Adulterado III' and continues a work started six months ago. On August 19, the operations 'Leite Adulterado I' and 'Leite Adulterado II' were carried out, in which 48 people were indicted. Of these, 22 were detained. They were involved with two dairy companies investigated by the MPSC: Mondaí Ltda, in Mondaí, and Lajeado Grande, in Ponte Serrada and Lajeado Grande. In the milk samples collected in the companies, there was an excessive number of bacteria and the presence of prohibited chemical substances, such as hydrogen peroxide and caustic soda.

According to the complaints, chemical products were mixed with milk to mask the expiration date and increase profitability. Chemical investigations detected hydrogen peroxide (hydrogen peroxide), sodium citrate, polyphosphate, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), and others, such as the addition of water and whey.

The bacterial load in the adulterated milk exceeded the standard accepted by the Ministry of Agriculture. In tests with samples from one of the companies, about 2 million bacteria were found per milliliter of milk, when the maximum number accepted by the entity is 300 thousand.

On August 19th, four Mondaí lots (54, 59, 67 and 71) were removed from circulation. Before, on the 12th of the same month, the Sanitary Surveillance of Santa Catarina determined the withdrawal of the full UHT milk from Lajeado Grande, manufactured on June 7, 2014, from the market. The product was sold to large industries in Paraná and São Paulo.

Source: G1.globo.com - 22/10