11,000 kgs ‘unsafe’ meat seized in Valley, triggers health scare

Panic has gripped the Kashmir Valley following the seizure of unsafe meat products across Jammu and Kashmir, with authorities confiscating over 11,000 kilograms of meat and related items in the past week, officials told The Tribune.

The massive crackdown comes amid growing concerns about substandard meat being sold in local markets. Most of the seizures have occurred in the Kashmir Valley, where rotten mutton, chicken, and other meat products have been confiscated during special enforcement drives.

A senior J&K government official confirmed that large quantities of tainted meat and poultry products were intercepted before they could reach consumers. “Meat items worth over Rs 80 lakh have been seized in Kashmir alone,” a Food Safety Department official said on Monday.

Official sources said that while inspections and seizures have taken place in both the Jammu and Kashmir regions, over 8,000 kgs were seized from the Valley. The confiscated samples have been sent for laboratory testing.

In several instances, the spoiled meat was also found dumped in cold storage facilities, raising further alarms about storage and supply chain practices. The revelations have prompted strong reactions from the public and political parties, with many demanding strict and swift action against those involved in the illegal trade.

Officials said that, on average, 600 lakh kilograms of mutton is consumed annually in Jammu and Kashmir, with a significant portion sourced from outside the Union Territory.

Sources also revealed that the current food safety crackdown is not limited to meat products alone. Action has been taken against other adulterated food items, including sweets and dairy products. Recent inspections revealed widespread non-compliance with food safety standards, particularly in the storage and sale of meat and related items.

With public outrage mounting, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah chaired a high-level meeting on Monday to review the ongoing food safety enforcement campaign. The meeting followed the alarming scale of recent seizures in the Kashmir Valley.

A government spokesperson said the Chief Minister ordered “exemplary punitive action” against anyone found selling or storing unsafe food. He emphasised that offenders must be prosecuted under the Food Safety and Standards Act, and called for criminal proceedings against the most serious violators.

“The problem appears to have gone unchecked and unnoticed for far too long,” Abdullah said. “Unscrupulous elements have played with the health and lives of people, and this cannot be tolerated.”

The Chief Minister directed that inspection drives be intensified across all districts, with Deputy Commissioners personally leading surprise market checks to ensure strict enforcement of hygiene and quality standards.

Meanwhile, political leaders across the spectrum have expressed serious concern over the issue. Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq last week voiced “deep shock and anguish” over the Food and Drugs Administration’s (FDA) recent seizures of “rotten, unlabelled and possibly unlawful” mutton from several locations in Kashmir.