11,600 kg rotten meat seized, destroyed in 4 months across J&K

Srinagar, Nov 16: To combat food adulteration, over the past four months, 11,600 kg of suspected rotten and adulterated meat have been seized and destroyed across Jammu and Kashmir.

Of this, over 7800 kg have been seized in Kashmir, with Srinagar as the epicenter.

Of the 120 samples tested, 14 have been confirmed unsafe by lab tests.

Of the meat and meat products, 106 samples had been sent for analysis to various labs across the country. The lab tests have revealed that 14 of these samples were unfit for human consumption and declared “unsafe”.

In addition, one sample was found to be substandard, while reports on 13 more samples are awaited.

The lab reports confirm that nearly 14 percent of meat samples could have led to disease and health hazards if consumed.

However, at the same time, 86 percent of samples that were under suspicion were found to be fit for consumption.

The findings suggest the misgivings and outrage against all meat and meat products in the market may be a little exaggerated.

The information has been shared by J&K Food and Drug Administration in the Assembly and as part of the Right to Information (RTI).

A reply from the Health and Medical Education Department, for the RTI query, reveals 7800 kg of sub-standard meat have been recovered in the Kashmir province.

Of this, 4220 kg have been recovered in Srinagar district only.

The RTI has been filed by Advocate Abdul Majeed Zargar.

Last month, the Health and Medical Education Minister replied in the J&K Assembly, in response to a question by legislator Mubarak Gul, that 11,602 kg of substandard meat, ranging from rotten mutton and beef to other partially processed items, had been confiscated and disposed of since July 31.

The Health and Medical Education Minister Department has said in its RTI reply that while the act does not allow for filing First Information Reports (FIRs) directly, it had pursued penal and regulatory actions against Food Business Operators (FBOs) found violating FSSAI guidelines.

This includes conducting 1430 inspections targeting meat handlers, issuing 102 improvement notices to address deficiencies, and suspending 14 licenses for non-compliance.

The most serious of concerns in the “meat scam” in J&K was the influx of unsafe consignments.

The department has rolled out public notices directing FBOs dealing in frozen raw meat to adhere strictly to standards.

In October, Prohibition Order No 60-FDA of 2025 was issued by the department, which bans the processing, storage, distribution, transportation, and sale of any frozen or chilled meat products failing to meet Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines.

Additionally, 1979 kg of meat have been seized; the fate of the seized meat is not clarified in the document.

The bulk of unsafe meat was recovered from Srinagar – 4202 kg was destroyed and 1740 kg seized.