After outrage over seizure of over 3500 kgs of rotten meat by the Food Safety Department from different parts of Kashmir, Minister for Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Satish Sharma on Friday said strict legal action would be taken against those supplying rotten meat and substandard food items in Jammu and Kashmir.
Fear has gripped Kashmir, after the seizure of over 3500 kilograms of rotten meat unfit for human consumption from various parts of the Valley in the last week.
The rotten meat has been recovered from different parts of the Valley, including Ganderbal, Pulwama and Srinagar in a week.
Officials said the meat was being stored for distribution to different areas of the Valley.
The discovery of rotten meat in large quantity has raised serious concerns about food safety, public health, and the effectiveness of regulatory mechanisms in the region.
The government has launched a crackdown against the unscrupulous traders involved in the supply of rotten and substandard food items to Kashmir.
“We have seized a truck carrying rice and stopped its consignment in Srinagar. Our technical teams will collect samples and send them to accredited laboratories for testing. Anyone found guilty, whether a local or outsider, supplier or transporter will face strict action under the law,” the minister said and conducting surprise inspections at food godowns and storage facilities across Srinagar.
The minister underscored that public health remains the government’s top priority.
The administration will not tolerate the distribution of unsafe or low-quality food. Supplying unsafe food is equivalent to playing with human lives. We will not allow such practices under any circumstances,” he said.
The Minister also commended the Food Safety Department for its recent actions against the sale of unhygienic meat and reaffirmed that all consumables would be subjected to scientific testing before being cleared for public distribution.
“Scientific testing will determine the quality of these food items, and action will be taken strictly based on the findings,” he said.
He noted that enforcement teams are active both in Jammu and Kashmir regions to monitor food safety, warning traders and suppliers to adhere strictly to safety and hygiene norms.
“Anyone compromising food safety standards will be dealt with firmly and according to the law,” Sharma said.
The minister also urged citizens to remain vigilant and report any instances of substandard or unsafe food being sold in the market, assuring prompt action from the government.
In its ongoing crackdown on supply of unsafe meat and dressed chicken in Kashmir, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has seized and destroyed over 3,500 kgs of rotten and unlabelled meat within a week. Officials said the seized consignments were either being transported or stored without proper labelling or cold-chain logistics, raising serious concerns over public health and food safety.