Jammu: On the directions of Commissioner Food Safety, Dr. Abdul Kabir Dar, various food markets across the state were inspected for ensuring the availability of safe and wholesome food to the consumers.
Keeping in view the frequent closure of Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the enforcement officers of the Commissionerate checked the quality of food items including livestock, fruits and vegetables in mandis, street food markets, highway markets and destroyed a huge quantity of rotten items.
Dr. Kabir directed all the regulatory officers of the state to intensify inspections and random sampling in markets of their respective jurisdictions especially in the districts falling in and around the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.
Due to highway closure, many food-laden trucks have remained in transient and stranded during past few days raising apprehensions that food items especially livestock (meat, poultry and fish) and perishable agricultural produce might have got deteriorated or spoiled.
Besides, all the food safety officers have been directed to ensure that street food vendors ensure that all the food items especially dressed chicken, meat, poultry, fish and offals’ are properly covered.
Meanwhile, the Commissionerate of Food Safety also issued an advisory for all the stakeholders especially dealing with livestock, fruit and vegetables and perishable food items to ensure that deteriorated food items are destroyed on their own level as a precautionary measure.
Any stakeholder found violating standards, quality and safety of food shall be dealt with strictly as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, a statement of Food Safety said.
The general public has been asked to contact the enforcement staff of the Commissionerate in case of complaint regarding the quality of food available in the markets on: 0194-2495191, 0191-2597445, 0191-2598094 or email at [email protected].
