Is unsafe food gutting Kashmir’s health?

Srinagar, Aug 1: Earlier this year, Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar raised an alarm over the higher-than-usual incidence of colon tumours among people undergoing colonoscopy at its Gastroenterology Department.

Doctors urged that a closer scrutiny of the foods that the young generation consumes was the need of the hour. Incidents of unsafe food seized in Kashmir may have answers for the mystery.

Eating out has become more popular in Kashmir than ever before.

In the absence of a cold chain, unconfirmed reports of non-vegetarian food preserved with formaldehyde have been doing the rounds for a long time.

At one point, the Food Safety Department cracked the whip on the food business operators, yet it is little known whether the practice continues or not, a doctor working with patients of colon cancers said.

In March this year, Greater Kashmir reported that one in every three people undergoing colonoscopy is found to have a tumour in the colon.

The popular and traditional food practices are as suspicious as the new-age food habits.

An official in the Food Safety Department said that unapproved and unsafe food colours like Carmosine are widely used in Wazwan.

“Yet, we cannot do anything about it as it is difficult to get into people’s households to check what they are using, when food is served to hundreds of guests,” he said.

Had it not been for a well-timed raid by the J&K Food Safety Department, 1200 kg of rotten meat could have turned into popular dishes by restaurants and been served to unsuspecting customers.

And the grave health effects would have become a reality for many connoisseurs.

The food plates in Kashmir have become increasingly risky, necessitating vigilance by consumers as well as the department.

On July 31, 2025, the Food Safety Department brought to light a shocking disregard for food safety standards, raising concerns about the status of the food supply chain in J&K.

This massive seizure took place just on the heels of another seizure of adulterated sweets and cheese in Jammu, amply making it clear that J&K is flooded with foods that could put lives in danger.

Assistant Commissioner Food Safety, Hilal Ahmad Mir, who led the operation alongside Yameen-ul-Nabi and a team from the Drug and Food Control Organisation (DFCO), told Greater Kashmir that the meat had spoiled due to inadequate or improper cold chain maintenance.

“The meat was meant for restaurants, where it would have been cooked and served. It was not for direct sale to consumers,” he said. “The cold chain was not maintained at minus 18 degrees centigrade as is required to preserve the meat, and that caused the meat to putrefy.”

The 1200 kg of meat was destroyed by the department.

Mir said an investigation was underway to trace its origins and hold those responsible accountable.

Legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act has been initiated against the involved Food Business Operators (FBOs), he said.

Earlier in the week, the department seized 8.5 quintals of adulterated cheese from a Katra-bound bus arriving from Delhi.

This followed the confiscation of a large quantity of substandard sweets in the same region.

The consecutive incidents of food fraud have sparked outrage and bred fears among consumers.

Some social media posts referred to the meat seizure as “a sickening betrayal of trust”.

According to Mir, the Srinagar raid was made possible due to a tip-off and intelligence about stale and foul-smelling meat.

The incident and the stale meat, images of which have been widely shared over the media, expose the systemic failures in food handling, with the meat stored in conditions that allowed it to rot, potentially exposing consumers to foodborne illnesses like salmonella or E. coli infections.

“We are intensifying efforts to stop such violations and ensure consumer protection,” the department said.