Blames supply chain, urges govt action at Lakhanpur
Rehan Qayoom Mir
Srinagar, Aug 16 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir Hotel and Restaurant Association (JKHARA) on Saturday defended its position over the controversy of rotten and unbranded frozen meat supplies in Kashmir, saying the seized stock had already been destroyed and the matter was misrepresented on social media.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar, JKHARA Vice-President Babar Chowdhary, per news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the Association wants to put facts before people. “One issue is the entry of unbranded and unlabelled frozen meat from outside, and the second is the risk of perishable items turning rotten if the cold chain breaks during transportation,” he said.
He said under the Food Safety Act, no unlabelled food item should be permitted and stressed that perishable products like meat, chicken or ice cream must remain frozen till they reach consumers.
Listing demands, Chowdhary urged the government to act at the Lakhanpur entry point by banning unbranded frozen meat, setting up testing laboratories, checking expiry dates and packaging, verifying freshness at factories, taking legal action against violators, blacklisting defaulting suppliers, and deploying a multi-disciplinary task force.
He added that the Association’s intention was not to create panic but to safeguard consumer health and protect the credibility of the hospitality sector.
“We are only putting facts straight before the people,” Chowdhary said—(KNO)
