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Food Safety First – Kashmir Observer

Food Safety First

Food Safety First – Kashmir Observer

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Food Safety First – Kashmir Observer

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How safe is the food we eat every day? This question doesn’t get asked enough in our media discourse. Every year, millions across India fall sick because what they ate was contaminated, full of harmful bacteria, chemicals, or simply mishandled. In Kashmir too, news of expired products, adulterated spices, or unhygienic street food is not uncommon. Rarely it makes headlines, but most times it quietly harms people: children, elders falling sick, families spending their savings on hospital bills. So it is urgent that we treat food safety not as an occasional talking point but as an everyday habit.

But this needs effort from everyone. Authorities must keep surprise checks regular and strict – not just before Eid or weddings. Local food safety labs must be well-equipped so results come quickly, and action is swift. Farmers, shopkeepers and restaurant owners must get proper training, not just fines. Many small vendors want to do the right thing but don’t know how.

Most importantly, we, the people, need to care too. Look at expiry dates. Don’t buy loose products from shady stalls. Teach children at home and in school that safe food is their right. Safe food protects health. Reports of contaminated milk, adulterated spices or stale meat crop up every now and then, denting consumer trust and hurting local businesses.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’s training programs must reach even the farthest hamlets. We also need robust local testing labs so that samples do not have to be sent outside the valley for months-long analysis.

This is an alarming situation. As things stand, street vendors, restaurants and even hoteliers operate with little to no oversight. The roadside vendors have been found to reuse oil multiple times, handling food with bare hands, and often storing it in substandard conditions. Worse, the unchecked use of adulterants in food products poses serious health risks, contributing to a rise in gastrointestinal infections, food poisoning, and even cancer. Although recent activism of food safety authorities should be appreciated, they shouldn’t act only after a crisis surfaces. The prevailing situation calls for routine, surprise inspections. We need a preventive rather than a reactionary approach to food safety. 

True, the crackdown against the violators of the food safety standards is hampered the logistical issues.  It remains woefully understaffed. And without sufficient manpower, thorough and regular inspections are impossible. This leaves room for food vendors to operate without fear of accountability. So, the need of the hour is for the government to fill up the vacancies in the department quickly. Food safety is not just a regulatory issue; it is a matter of life and death. 

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