By WASIK MURTAZA

In what can only be called a horrifying revelation, the Food and Safety Department of Kashmir has launched a large-scale crackdown over the past few days, seizing hundreds of kilograms of adulterated, rotten, and possibly non-halal meat from popular restaurants, cafés, and food outlets across the Valley.

The very thought is disturbing: have we been unknowingly consuming meat unfit for human health—in some cases, even questionable in terms of its source and slaughter?

How Did We Get Here?

For years, Kashmiris have trusted their local eateries to serve what’s safe, hygienic, and above all, *halal*. But this operation has exposed a dark underbelly of the food business—where profit is prioritized over public health.

Sources reveal that a significant portion of this meat was **untraceable**—with **no clarity on whether it came from goats, sheep, or even other animals not permissible in Islam**. In a region where over 97% of the population practices Islam, this is not just a food safety concern—it’s a cultural and religious violation

If this is what’s being served in our restaurants, what assurance do we have about the meat sold in markets or delivered to our homes?

Are We Paying the Price in Health ?

It forces one to ask, “why does Kashmir record such alarming rates of heart attacks, kidney failures, liver problems, even among the young? Could adulterated food, consumed over time, be the silent killer we have ignored?

We blame stress, lifestyle, or weather. But perhaps the real poison is on our plates**.

While the recent crackdown has started, it raises a more serious question: where was the Food and Safety Department all these years ? How did this scale of food adulteration go unchecked? What about routine inspections, supply chain audits, and licensing checks?

People are angry and rightly so. We deserve transparency. We deserve safety. We deserve accountability.

We Need Answers. We Want Action.

This is not just about Rotten meat. It’s about a system that allowed it to end up on our plates. It’s about religious sensitivity, health rights, and consumer trust.

We call upon:

The Food and Safety Department to release a full report on the seizures, including  names of suppliers type of meat and sources
The  Health Department to study the long-term effects of such adulterated food on public health.
The religious bodies and civil society to step in and demand halal certification transparency

Kashmiris are not just customers. We are citizens. And our health, faith, and dignity must not be traded for someone’s profit.