Food safety concern
15% of food items analyzed between 2020 and 2025 found adulterated; penalties imposed in more than 6,900 cases
WAJAHAT SHABIR
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir has reported alarming levels of food adulteration over the past five years, with more than 6,200 food samples failing safety standards out of 41,717 tested, according to official data presented in Parliament.
The figures translate to nearly 15 percent of food items tested between 2020 and 2025 being found unfit for consumption. In 2020-21, a total of 4,094 samples were tested, of which 871 were non-conforming, leading to 573 penalties, the Minister of Health and Family Welfare informs Rajya Sabha.
In 2021-22, testing expanded to 8,109 samples, with 1,735 found unsafe. That year, 1,931 cases were penalized, the highest in the five-year period. In 2022-23, the number of samples surged to 13,502, but only 1,195 failed standards. Authorities imposed 1,592 penalties for violations.
In 2023-24, enforcement covered 9,057 samples, with 750 declared unsafe and 1,612 cases penalized, including some carried forward from earlier years. In the latest year, 2024-25, 6,955 samples were tested, of which 651 were adulterated, resulting in 1,239 penalties.
Overall, Jammu and Kashmir recorded 6,202 non-conforming samples and over 6,900 penalties in five years. Officials noted that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been pushing states and UTs, including Jammu and Kashmir, to strengthen their food safety enforcement machinery and fill up vacant posts of food safety officers.
In cases where samples are found to be non- conforming to the provisions of the Act and the Rules and Regulations made, recourse is taken to penal provisions under the FSS Act. Details of the enforcement activity conducted and action taken against the defaulting, the ministry informed.
