Srinagar: The Food Safety Department on Sunday clarified that the meat products seized during recent raids in Srinagar were halal, but substandard and unsafe for consumption, urging religious leaders and the public not to attach a communal or religious angle to the issue.
Assistant Labour Commissioner Hilal Ahmad Mir, who led the inspections, said the crackdown was prompted by the discovery of artificially coloured kebabs, a practice he has repeatedly warned against due to serious health risks. “These items sometimes make their way into wazwan, but we cannot be present at every marriage feast. People need to be vigilant themselves,” he said.
Mir stressed that misinformation was spreading about the meat being ‘haram’. “This is absolutely false. I can confirm it is halal meat. However, it is substandard, without proper labelling and artificially coloured, which is a clear violation of the Food Safety Act. That is why it is being seized and destroyed,” he explained, adding that legal sampling is being conducted on the spot during raids.
Appealing for responsible handling of unsafe food items, Mir said, “We have seen such items dumped on the streets. Instead, people should voluntarily hand them over to us. Anyone in possession of unsafe meat who approaches us will be dealt with leniently.”
Officials reiterated that while the seized meat was not prohibited on religious grounds, it was unfit for consumption under health regulations. The department vowed that its drive against substandard food would continue.
Over the past two days, officials destroyed more than 3,000 kilograms of unsafe kebabs and gushtabas seized from multiple locations across Srinagar.
The crackdown began Saturday at HMT Srinagar, where an ice cream store was found illegally selling kababs and gushtabas. On Sunday morning, inspections across the city led to the seizure of around 2,500 kababs and 1,000 gushtabas.
In a separate action, the Legal Metrology Department at Bulbul Bagh Barzulla recovered meat consignments lacking manufacturer labels and valid manufacturing dates.
