Claim
A viral social media post claims that the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that increasing milk adulteration in India could result in 87% of Indians developing cancer by 2035. The post also questions the gap between India’s reported milk production and consumption, suggesting that the difference is evidence of widespread adulteration.
Verdict: False
What is the viral claim?
A Facebook user shared the claim on August 3, 2026, stating that India produces around 14 crore litres of milk while consumption is 64 crore litres. The post claimed that the additional milk was the result of adulteration and alleged that WHO had warned that 87% of Indians could suffer from cancer by 2035 if milk adulteration was not stopped. However, the claim contains multiple misleading elements.The claim is also a recycled piece of misinformation that has circulated for years, with the predicted year repeatedly changed.
WHO has denied issuing such an advisory
A review of the claim found that WHO India itself addressed the misinformation on August 3, 2026. WHO India clarified that the claim that it had issued an advisory to the Indian government warning that adulterated milk and dairy products could cause cancer and other diseases among 87% of Indians by 2035 is false. According to WHO, no such advisory has been issued. This directly contradicts the central claim being circulated on social media.
The claim has been circulating for years
The viral post is not a new warning from WHO. According to the research cited in the source, substantially the same claim has circulated on social media for several years. Earlier versions predicted that 87% of Indians would develop cancer by 2025. After that prediction failed to materialise, the year was changed to 2035, and the claim has resurfaced again in 2026. The image circulating with the latest version also reportedly carries the date September 19, 2035, despite the current year being 2026, providing another indication that the material has been recycled or manipulated.
What do official milk production figures show?
The viral post’s comparison between milk production and consumption does not establish that the difference is caused by adulteration. According to data cited from a Government of India press release dated November 26, 2025, India’s total milk production was estimated at:
- 247.87 million tonnes in 2024-25
- 239.30 million tonnes in 2023-24
The government’s data also shows that per-capita milk availability increased from 319 grams per day in 2014-15 to 485 grams per day in 2024-25.
The five largest milk-producing states were:
- Uttar Pradesh — 15.66%
- Rajasthan — 14.82%
- Madhya Pradesh — 9.12%
- Gujarat — 7.78%
- Maharashtra — 6.71%
Together, these five states accounted for 54.09% of India’s total milk production.
These figures do not provide evidence for the viral claim that the alleged difference between production and consumption represents adulterated milk.
Conclusion
The claim that WHO has warned that 87% of Indians could develop cancer by 2035 because of milk adulteration is false. WHO India has explicitly denied issuing any such advisory. The claim is a recycled piece of misinformation that has appeared online for years, with the predicted year changed from 2025 to 2035. Official government data on India’s milk production and per-capita availability also does not substantiate the claim that a supposed production-consumption gap proves widespread milk adulteration. There is no evidence that WHO issued any such warning or advisory. WHO India has explicitly denied the claim and clarified that it has not issued an advisory stating that milk or dairy adulteration could cause cancer or other diseases among 87% of Indians by 2035. There is no WHO warning that 87% of Indians will develop cancer by 2035 because of milk adulteration.