Srinagar, Mar 15: With Eid approaching, the sale of unpacked food items in markets across Sopore town in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district has raised serious safety and hygiene concerns among residents, who have urged authorities to intensify market inspections to ensure the availability of safe food for consumers.
Locals said that several food items, including dates, fruits, fried snacks and other eatables, are being sold openly without proper packaging or hygiene measures in various markets of the town.
They also questioned the quality of cooking oil being used by vendors to prepare fried food items. Residents expressed apprehension that the repeated use of oil for frying snacks could pose health risks to consumers.
“We are seeing many food items being sold openly in the markets ahead of Eid. There is no clarity about the quality of ingredients or whether the oil used for frying is fresh or reused multiple times,” a delegation of locals said. “Authorities should increase market checking to protect consumers.”
Residents stressed that intensified inspections by concerned departments would help ensure the quality and hygiene of food items sold to the public during the festive season.
President of the Traders Federation Sopore, Mohammad Ashraf Ganaie, said the traders’ body supports strict market inspections by the authorities to ensure consumer safety.
“We fully support market checking by the authorities so that only safe and hygienic food reaches consumers,” Ganaie told Rising Kashmir. “I have already informed traders not to sell expired or unhygienic food items and to maintain proper standards to safeguard public health.”
He also pointed out that expired food products should be destroyed instead of being returned to the market.
“Many times, expired food items are taken back from the market, but they should be properly destroyed so that they cannot be reused or resold,” he said, adding that authorities should further intensify inspections in the markets ahead of Eid.
Meanwhile, Wali Mohammad Wani, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Municipal Council (MC) Sopore, said that the civic body has already stepped-up market checking following directions from the Deputy Commissioner Baramulla.
“Market checking has been intensified, especially after the directions from the Deputy Commissioner. Our teams have conducted several inspections in the markets,” Wani said.
He added that authorities have taken action against violators during the inspections. “We have seized unhygienic food items in multiple cases and imposed fines on violators. The checking drives will continue in the coming days,” he said.
