Over 27 Tons of Expired Fish and Chicken Seized, Destroyed in Jammu

SRINAGAR: More than 2,700 kilograms of expired frozen fish and chicken were seized and destroyed following a joint inspection by the Legal Metrology Department (LMD) and the Food Safety Department on Saturday, officials said. The action led to the registration of three separate cases against shopkeepers found violating food safety norms.

The discovery of 27 quintals of spoiled frozen food comes shortly after a rotten-meat scandal in Kashmir, where authorities have destroyed over 3,500 kilograms of adulterated meat in the past week, raising consumer concerns across the region.

“Following government directives and ahead of the festival season, we carried out a joint inspection of fish and chicken markets in the city to ensure that all products, including those imported from outside Jammu and Kashmir, are stored according to prescribed norms and clearly labelled with packaging date, expiry date, and maximum retail price (MRP),” said Manoj Prabhakar, Deputy Controller, LMD Enforcement.

During the inspection, the teams seized 27 quintals of rotten and spoiled frozen fish and chicken. Consequently, three cases under the Legal Metrology Act were filed against the shopkeepers for violating packaging and storage regulations.

In addition, challans under Section 56 of the Legal Metrology Act along with improvement notices under Section 32 of the Food Safety and Standards Act were issued. These were based on violations related to the unhygienic storage conditions of the frozen food.

All seized material was destroyed following proper standard operating procedures (SOPs), with the involvement of a team from the Jammu Municipal Corporation at the dumping station in Kotbhalwal, located on the outskirts of the city.