The crackdown on substandard and rotten meat continued across Jammu and Kashmir for the sixth consecutive day, with officials from the Food Safety Department (FSD) seizing and destroying expired meat, chicken, and fish across the Union Territory.
Reports said that during routine inspections, over two quintals of mutton were found unfit for consumption in North Kashmir's Baramulla district.
In the heart of Jammu city, over 2,700 kg of expired fish and chicken were seized and subsequently destroyed during a joint inspection carried out by the Legal Metrology Department (LMD) and the Food Safety Department. Three cases were registered against shopkeepers in this regard.
Deputy Controller of the Legal Metrology Department, Jammu, Manoj Prabhakar, said raids were conducted in various parts of the city on the instructions of the government in view of the upcoming festive season.
"We conducted a joint inspection of the fish and chicken market in the city to check whether the products, including those imported from outside Jammu and Kashmir, were stored as per norms and carried packaging date, expiry date, and MRP," he said.
A total of 27 quintals of rotten and spoiled frozen fish and chicken were seized during the inspection. Accordingly, three cases were registered under the Legal Metrology Act for violations of various guidelines.
A challan under Section 56, along with an improvement notice under Section 32, was also recommended against the shopkeepers for storing frozen food in extremely unhygienic conditions and in violation of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, he added.
Prabhakar said that all the seized material was destroyed in accordance with standard operating procedures, in coordination with a team from the Jammu Municipal Corporation at the Kot Bhalwal dumping station on the outskirts of the city.
The recovery of 27 quintals of expired frozen food comes just days after a rotten-meat scandal rocked consumers in Kashmir, where authorities destroyed more than 3,500 kg of adulterated meat over the past week.
Similar seizures have been reported from multiple districts over the past week, prompting authorities to intensify their enforcement drives.
The Food Safety Department has urged consumers to carefully check the quality and validity of food items before purchase and consumption. "It is the right of people to know what they are eating. We appeal to the public to immediately report any suspicious or substandard products to the department," an official said.
Restaurant owners, butchers, and food vendors have also been advised to maintain strict hygiene standards and ensure that only quality meat products are sold.
Meanwhile, authorities have warned that violators will face strict action, including heavy fines and possible closure of establishments.
