Rotten Meat Seizure In Srinagar Sparks Food Safety Concerns

Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir government’s food safety officials on Thursday seized rotten meat from a storage facility in Srinagar. This meat was transported from outside and meant for supplies to hotels and restaurants in the Valley.

Food Safety Department Srinagar Drug and Food Control Organisation (DFCO) officials raided a storage facility in Zakura Industrial Estate on Srinagar's outskirts. During the raid, the officials found that 1,200 kilograms of spoiled meat were being supplied to hotels and restaurants.

Hilal Ahmad Mir, Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety, told ETV Bharat that the meat was being transported to hotels and restaurants. This packaged meat is transported into the Valley from outside states and then minced in hotels and restaurants for ristas and kebabs, officials said.

The discovery of rotten meat has raised alarm in the Valley, where various meat-based dishes are prepared and served in hotels and restaurants. Yameen Ul Nabi, Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety, Srinagar, said they acted on a tip-off about rotten meat and raided a store in the Zakura area on the outskirts of the city.

"The meat packages were transported from outside Jammu and Kashmir into Srinagar and were meant for sale to either hotels or restaurants. We are investigating the entire network of this unethical trade link,” Nabi told ETV Bharat.

The officials have initiated legal proceedings against the Food Business Operators (FBOs) concerned under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act.

The Food Safety Department warned all FBOs, particularly those handling high-risk food items, to strictly adhere to recommended temperature control measures for perishable goods.

The department issued a stern warning that any FBO found neglecting food safety and temperature control measures will face stringent action under the Food Safety and Standards Act.

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