Srinagar: In an intensified crackdown on unsafe food practices, authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have seized and destroyed nearly 12,000 kilograms of unsafe and decomposed frozen meat over the past few weeks.
Officials from the Food Safety Department said the haul included over 8,000 kgs from Kashmir and more than 3,000 kgs from Jammu. Much of the stock was found unbranded, improperly stored, or dumped on roadsides.
“The consignments were declared unfit for human consumption and subsequently destroyed,” the officials confirmed.
The operation also led to the sealing of two establishments and registration of cases against the offenders. “Wherever we found unsafe or decomposed meat, it was seized and destroyed. Two establishments have already been locked by police and cases registered,” a senior official said.
The seizures have exposed gaps in the Valley’s cold storage infrastructure. Officials revealed that Srinagar lacks proper facilities to maintain the required -18°C temperature for frozen meat. “Here, storage units can maintain only up to -4°C, which is inadequate. At present, there may be four to five such units, but none meet the standard,” the official added.
The crackdown, part of routine monitoring, intensified after large dumps of decomposed meat were discovered in recent weeks. While some consignments were traced to offenders, others were found abandoned along roadsides, making it difficult to identify their source.
The Food Safety Department has written to the Commissioner for Food Safety, seeking a probe into the supply chain to trace the origins of the unsafe meat.
Authorities stressed that ensuring food safety is a shared responsibility. “Suppliers, hoteliers, and purchasers must verify branding, expiry dates, and licenses before buying meat,” an official advised.
Meanwhile, the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Kashmir has urged the government to set up strict testing facilities at Lakhanpur — the gateway to J&K — and ban the entry of unbranded frozen meat into the region. — (KNO)
