Jammu Kashmir Bans Unlabelled Food After Rotten-Meat Scare

Srinagar: The recent large rotten meat seizures in the valley have prompted authorities to announce a ban on the sale of unlabelled food products in J&K.

Commissioner Food and Drugs, Smita Sethi, in an official order, said that in the interest of safeguarding public health and ensuring the highest standards of food safety, she has directed Food Business Operators (FBOs), including manufacturers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, cold storage operators, transporters, and e-commerce platforms, to comply with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labeling) Regulations, 2020.

“The sale of packaged food products without proper and complete label declaration is strictly prohibited,” reads the order.

The law mandates packaged frozen meat and chicken to display the particulars clearly and legibly. This includes the name of the food product, a list of ingredients, a declaration of non-vegetarian status with the prescribed symbol, the date of manufacture/packing and expiry, storage conditions, the name and complete address of the manufacturer, packer, or importer, and an FSSAI license number and logo.

However, over 60 quintals of rotten mutton seized in Kashmir in the crackdown after the initial recovery of 1,200 kilograms of meat from a cold storage facility on Srinagar outskirts on July 31 lacked all these requirements, triggering fear and panic among those eating outside. According to the Food and Drug Department, the rotten meat was being supplied to hotels and restaurants.

President Jammu and Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association, Babar Chowdhary, said they have lost over 80 per cent of footfall following the seizures. The association fears unemployment in the face of a lack of sales, as more than 3.5 lakh people are earning a livelihood in this sector. This comes as the Union Territory is yet to come out of the impact the Pahalgam terror attack had on the tourism sector in the valley.

The Drug and Food commissioner also laid down norms for packaging materials to be of food-grade quality, safe, non-toxic and compliant with FSSAI standards to prevent contamination.

“Besides, any product labelled as Halal Certified (voluntary) must meet all FSSAI safety, hygiene, and labelling requirements,” she said, warning non-compliance will attract strict enforcement action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The rules allows the department to seize for non-compliance as well as impose monetary penalties of up to Rs 5 lakh for sub-standard products, Rs 3 lakh for misbranded products or missing label declarations (Up to ₹1 lakh for insanitary conditions ( Section 56), Up to Rs 2 lakhs for without FSSAI registration and up to Rs 10 lakh without FSSAI License).

The offences involving unsafe food are punishable with imprisonment for up to six years, along with a fine of up to Rs 5 lakh. “All FBOs must immediately review and upgrade their operations, ensure complete compliance, maintain updated records, and remove or delist any non-compliant products from their outlets and online sales platforms,” she added.

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