It is really intriguing that food adulteration has become alarming in Jammu and Kashmir, with almost all the entities meant for human consumption becoming doubtful when it comes to the purity of their contents. The worst example is of milk and milk by-products, as in many cases spurious products have been recovered by the police and allied agencies meant for checking the quality of these products. The availability of fake Paneer (Cottage Cheese), impure Desi Ghee, and Khoya has become a common scenario these days, with many consignments caught while being smuggled into the UT from different states.
There are other food items also which are being adulterated by unethical traders, calling for strict action from the concerned authorities. The Food Safety Authority and the men in Khaki should make it a point to carry out persistent checks and inspections on stores and warehouses holding stocks of food entities on a regular basis to deter erring traders and unscrupulous business owners from indulging in adulteration of food items, including milk and milk by-products. It is necessary that all such actions be publicized in the local as well as national media to discourage others from engaging in these misdemeanours. Not much time has passed when consignments of fake Paneer were recovered from buses bound for Jammu and Katra coming from Delhi.
Similarly, reports have confirmed that the Designated Officer of Food Safety, District Jammu Rural, had ordered prohibition of the sale of the Ghee brand ‘Variya’ as samples of the same were found substandard and unsafe in the second week of September. There are many other similar examples in the region, raising concerns because all these items are for human consumption, and therefore, the monitoring authorities are required to remain vigilant at all times.
In addition, local street food vendors, sweet shops, and even small eateries in Jammu city and adjoining towns have been found using low-quality ingredients, often to cut costs. Consumers in local markets such as Raghunath Bazar, Bahu Plaza, and Sarwal have repeatedly raised complaints about adulterated sweets and dairy products. The government must therefore initiate a comprehensive campaign, combining awareness drives, strict enforcement of food laws, and periodic sampling of products in urban and rural areas alike. Just as there is stringent monitoring of meat, fish, and poultry, a focused drive against adulteration of other food items must be undertaken. Only such consistent vigilance and public awareness can end this menace from the region once and for all.
