In 1970, an ambitious programme to develop India’s dairy sector was launched under the name “Operation Flood”. The aim was to scale up a successful dairy cooperative at Anand in Gujarat State.

It was implemented by India’s National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) with technical assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). This led to what is known colloquially as the ‘White Revolution’ which has transformed India into the world’s largest milk producer.

This highly successful cooperative model has now generated one of India’s most recognisable brands: an entirely farmer-owned dairy company, now known as the Anand Milk Union Limited (Amul) with a turnover of USD 8 billion.

Underpinning this remarkable success are 125 Codex texts that have been harmonized into India’s food law, which ensures the safety of Amul’s products and the trust of consumers in India and the fifty countries to which the company exports.

Codex has produced a video that tells the story of India’s ‘White Revolution’. Shot in Anand, Gujarat, the home of NDDB and Amul, the video explains how the cooperative works and how Codex has played a key role in ensuring the White Revolution continues today.

Watch the video

Photo © Flooded Cellar Productions / Sue Price
Caption: Filmmakers capture children drinking milk at a dairy cooperative.