Jammu Tawi, Oct 4: The Jammu and Kashmir government has imposed an immediate and sweeping ban on the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, and sale of frozen and chilled meat products that do not comply with statutory food safety and labeling standards under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.
The order was issued by Smita Sethi, Commissioner of Food Safety and Commissioner, Food & Drugs Administration, J&K, following extensive inspections carried out by the Food Safety Wing of the Drugs and Food Control Organization. During these checks, authorities discovered large quantities of rotten, decomposed, and unlabelled meat products at several locations across the Union Territory. All unsafe stocks were promptly seized and destroyed in accordance with law.
According to officials, the seized consignments were missing crucial labeling particulars such as the batch or lot number, date of manufacture, expiry date, storage conditions, FSSAI licence number, and manufacturer’s details. These details are mandatory under the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling & Display) Regulations, 2020. In many cases, the labels that were available were either incomplete or illegible, making the products not only unsafe but also misleading for consumers.
The Commissioner clarified that, under Section 3(1)(zz) of the FSSA, 2006, such food items fall under the definition of “unsafe food.” Consequently, they attract penal provisions prescribed under Chapter IX of the Act, including Section 59, which deals with punishments for unsafe food.
The prohibitory order also reiterated the minimum statutory standards laid down for handling, transporting, and storing frozen and chilled meat products. These standards include:
Frozen meat must be stored and transported at −18°C or below.
Chilled meat must be maintained at 0–4°C for short-term handling.
Frozen meat must clearly carry the date of freezing and cannot be sold beyond 12 months from that date.
For e-commerce deliveries, at least 30% of the total shelf life or a minimum of 45 days before expiry (whichever is earlier) must remain at the time of delivery.
All storage and transport facilities must be equipped with calibrated temperature monitoring devices, and proper records must be maintained.
Every meat product label must clearly specify the animal species (such as goat meat, chicken, buffalo meat, etc.).
The order further invoked Section 18(1)(f) of the FSSA, 2006, which mandates that if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a food may pose a risk to human health, the Food Authority and the Commissioner of Food Safety are duty-bound to adopt preventive measures and simultaneously inform the public about the nature of the risk and the steps taken to counter it.
Commissioner Smita Sethi underlined that the present action was taken under Section 30 of the FSSA, 2006, which empowers the Commissioner of Food Safety to prohibit the manufacture, storage, or sale of any food article in the interest of public health for a specified duration.
“Having regard to the inspection findings and the potential health risk involved, a condition exists across the Union Territory that requires immediate preventive action in the interest of public health,” the order stated.
The ban will continue to remain in force until further notice or until the administration is satisfied that the risk to human health no longer exists.
This move, officials said, is aimed at ensuring consumer safety and restoring confidence in the regulatory framework governing food quality in the Union Territory. (Agencies)
