Kashmir consumers worried over adulterated food products

We regularly keep collecting food samples: DFCO

Srinagar: Consumers of different food companies in the Valley are worried as they fear that contaminated and adulterated food items are being supplied to them and they blame the authorities for not regularly checking the dangerous misuse.

Over the years, Kashmir has seen a fledgling growth of some food companies which manufacture milk, cheese, turmeric and other spices. Although their growth has been welcomed by the people, the consumers believe that their food products are contaminated and adulterated.

Tasaduq Hussain, who consumes milk of a local manufacturer, said that his wife always complains that the milk is contaminated.

“Every morning I have to hear complaints from my wife that the milk I purchase from the market is not of pure and standard quality. I have changed brands but the complaints are same for every brand,” said Hussain, a resident of Hyderpora.

Like Hussain, scores of other consumers fear that the same adulteration. But the complaints of these consumers are not baseless.

In 2013, the Food Safety Standards Authority of India had found that that 83 per cent of milk produced and consumed in Jammu and Kashmir is contaminated with components like salt, detergents and several other harmful substances.

FSSAI had said that the milk had not only weak nutritious value but has several other side effects for human health as well.

Health experts said that the consumption of contaminated food products by the people could lead to gastroenteritis, food poisoning, endocrinology and several other chronic diseases.

“The consumption of adulterated food products can even cause cancer,” said doctors.

People and the experts unanimously said the responsibility for this lied on the government which had given a “free” hand to the companies for adulteration.

They said that Drugs and Food Control Organization, and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation were not serious in controlling and checking the quality of food products being supplied to them.

Officials said that they regularly check the food companies’ products irrespective of receiving complaints from people.

“We regularly keep collecting food samples from the market to check their quality and standard. As per the Food Safety Act, those people are fined whose products are found adulterated,” said Deputy Drugs and Food Controller, Nazir Ahmad Wani.