| After rotten meat, fake honey, spurious ghee recovered in Srinagar | |    | 
Early Times Report
Jammu, Jan 12: After recovering quintals of rotten mutton and expired chicken from various locations in recent days, the Food Safety Department of Jammu and Kashmir has busted another major racket involved in the manufacture and sale of fake honey and spurious desi ghee in Srinagar, exposing widespread adulteration in food items being supplied to the local market.
Sources said teams of the department carried out raids in the Barthana and Qamarwari areas of the city and unearthed an illegal unit engaged in preparing and packaging adulterated food products. During the operation, officials seized a large quantity of hydrogenated oil, which was allegedly being mixed with colouring agents and flavours and sold as desi ghee at roadside stalls and small retail outlets.
Officials also recovered sugar, chemical additives and other raw material being used to prepare a thick syrup that was being marketed as locally produced or “pure” honey. Containers, packaging material and weighing equipment used in the illegal operation were also seized.
This latest action follows the department’s recent seizures of quintals of rotten mutton and chicken being sold beyond their expiry dates, which were allegedly stored in unhygienic conditions and supplied to markets and eateries, posing a serious threat to public health. Several samples collected during earlier raids had failed quality and safety tests, prompting intensified inspections across the city.
Sources said the adulterated food items were being widely supplied in local markets, particularly in densely populated areas, raising concerns over long-term health risks to consumers, including children and the elderly.
Samples of the seized ghee and honey have been sent for laboratory analysis, and further legal action will be taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act once the test reports are received. Officials said more raids are planned as part of a sustained drive against food adulteration, and warned traders against selling unsafe or substandard food products. | | |
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