Jammu & Kashmir food safety enforcement

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Jammu & Kashmir has initiated several enforcement and regulatory actions to ensure food safety across the union territory.

Initial efforts involved large-scale inspections of food establishments in over a dozen districts, focusing on high-risk items such as meat, meat products, and sweets. During these drives, between 129 and 142 food samples were collected for laboratory testing, and various penalties and legal actions were taken against operators for hygiene violations and other offences.

Following these inspections, the FDA expanded its focus to educational institutions by directing the School Education Department to strictly enforce food safety regulations in all government and private schools. These mandates prohibit the sale or distribution of foods high in saturated fat, trans-fat, added sugar, or sodium within school premises, and ban the marketing of such products within a 50-metre radius of school gates. Schools are also required to ensure food business operators are properly licensed and to provide safe drinking water.