A shocking video making rounds on social media has ignited concerns over food safety in Kashmir. The footage, captured outside the revered Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar last week, showed a dead mouse floating in a tin of cooking oil used by a street vendor. The J&K Police has since booked the vendor, but the incident has raised concerns about unhygienic food practices across the region.
Street food is a staple in Kashmir, offering everything from crispy nadru monje to sizzling barbeques. But while these quick, affordable meals are tempting, they often come with hidden health risks. Cases of foodborne illnesses are rising, with experts warning that poor hygiene and lax enforcement are to blame.
According to official data, over 14,000 registered food establishments operate in the Valley under the J&K Drug & Food Control Organisation. This includes street vendors, who can obtain a license from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) with minimal formalities including an Aadhaar card, a photo, and an online application.
But while these vendors have proliferated amid growing unemployment, weak food safety regulations have allowed unsanitary practices to flourish. Many stalls, including the one at the Hazratbal, operated in unhygienic conditions, exposing consumers to serious health risks.
Authorities at the Food and Safety Department maintain that they were not consulted by the J&K Waqf Board before allowing these vendors, including the accused, to operate that day.
Doctors across Kashmir have been reporting a rise in gastroenteritis and other infections linked to contaminated food.
Dr. S Muhammad Salim Khan, professor and head of the Department of Community Medicine at Government Medical College Srinagar, attributes this to poor hygiene and warns that stricter regulations and greater public awareness are essential.
He stresses that personal hygiene such as washing hands before eating plays a crucial role in preventing foodborne diseases.
But the problem extends beyond street food. Mutton, a staple in Kashmiri cuisine, is in high demand with the region importing about two million sheep annually in a trade worth $350 million. But much of it is sold openly, exposed to dust and bacteria.
According to Dr Khan, this contributes to the spread of infections and warns that food handlers with unclean hands can easily transmit diseases, making hygiene practices critical.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified foodborne illnesses as a major public health threat, caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical contaminants in food. Globally, one in ten people–approximately 600 million–fall ill from contaminated food each year with 4,20,000 deaths annually. Last year, it noted that unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, or chemical substances causes more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhea to cancer.
India has been particularly hard hit. The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) warns that unsafe food contributes to 4,20,000 deaths annually and 600 million infections. A 2019 study published in The Lancet ranked India second only to China in deaths caused by poor-quality or adulterated food.
Dr Sarosh Ahmad Khan, a leading physician and director of Naseem Medical Centre in Srinagar points to several unsafe practices among street vendors including excessive salt, monosodium glutamate (MSG), banned food dyes like Tartrazine, and the overuse of cooking oil.
“Many vendors reuse oil multiple times instead of discarding it, which increases trans-fat levels and raises the risk of heart disease,” he said.