Jammu, Nov 4: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Jammu and Kashmir, has intensified inspections and food sampling across Jammu Division ahead of Diwali to prevent the sale of adulterated and substandard food products during the festive season.
As part of a special enforcement campaign, food safety teams collected 56 samples of different food items, including sweets, paneer, khoya, savouries and other commodities from various food establishments.
During the drive, approximately 500 kilograms of sweets, including Rasgulla, valued at around Rs 79,500, were destroyed after being declared unfit for human consumption.
The department also initiated legal proceedings against several food business operators for violating provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, particularly those relating to sanitary and hygienic practices.
As part of the action, two food business licences and two registrations were suspended. Officials also recommended 11 challans under Section 56 of the Act, which provides for penalties of up to Rs 1 lakh for unhygienic or unsanitary food processing and manufacturing practices. Four cases were compounded as well.
The enforcement campaign covered Jammu Municipal Limits, Jammu Rural, Samba, Kathua, Udhampur, Reasi, Ramban, Doda, Kishtwar, Rajouri and Poonch districts.
Inspection teams examined the quality of festive food products, checked hygiene standards at food establishments and monitored compliance with prescribed food safety regulations.
The FDA reiterated that food safety enforcement would continue to protect public health and urged food business operators to maintain proper sanitation and follow all prescribed standards.
Consumers have also been advised to purchase sweets and other food products from licensed outlets, examine product labels and report suspected cases of food adulteration to the concerned Food Safety authorities.
