SMC to check army canteens for food adulteration

Srinagar Municipal Corporation, the civic body in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital, will lift food samples inside the army’s largest garrison Badami Bagh to check food adulteration. 

SMC’s move to extend its jurisdiction has come as the cantonment had no designated food safety officer or laboratory to test quality of eatables. SMC commissioner Dr G N Qasba had called a meeting in this regard and directed the health official to carry out the necessary measures to implement the Food Safety Act inside the cantonment to ensure food quality and standards. 

“It’s important that all eatables, wherever it is sold in Srinagar, are not adulterated or violating the Food Safety Act 2006. The SMC will be lifting samples from the cantonment for necessary test to ensure sale of safe and healthy food items,” said Dr Qasba. “The SMC will be now lifting samples from all the sellers housed inside and outside the cantonment area. 

The SMC will be testing food samples periodically so that hygienic and up-to-mark unadulterated eatables are sold inside the cantonment,” said SMC health officer Shafqat Khan. The health officer on Wednesday on the instructions of Commissioner SMC held a meeting with the cantonment authorities, which was also attended by the officials of the Chinar Station Canteen and OIC station. 

The cantonment authorities had requested to the SMC to “collect food samples from various shops in and around BB Cantonment and arrange analysis of the same to rule out any adulteration.” The SMC has now asked the cantonment authorities to send a complete list of food business operators and retail food outlets. 

“The licensing of the same will be done under the relevant clause of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, which shall thereafter enable the Public Health Department of SMC to undertake regular sampling in the cantonment area,” said a SMC official communiqué to the cantonment authorities.