Kashmir Impulse Desk

Srinagar, June 3

Food safety authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have rejected claims circulating on social media that vegetable vendors in Srinagar were collecting discarded and rotten produce from a garbage dump for resale, describing a viral video at the centre of the controversy as misleading.

The video, widely shared online, shows individuals gathering vegetables from the ground while cattle feed on discarded stock nearby.

The accompanying claim alleges that vendors were scavenging rotten vegetables from a waste disposal area near the vegetable market at Parimpora and selling them to consumers.

Following an inspection, officials from the Food Safety Department said the footage did not support those allegations.

Assistant Commissioner Food Safety Yameen-ul-Nabi said the cattle seen in the video were present at a garbage dump managed by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation, while the vegetable trading yard was located separately across a road.

“The vegetables are not picked up from garbage. This claim is totally baseless and misleading,” Nabi said.

Officials said market surveillance of vegetable and fruit quality is a routine exercise and has been intensified in recent weeks as part of broader food safety checks.

According to the department, inspectors have been collecting samples from markets to test for artificial ripening agents, synthetic colouring substances, chemical preservatives and pesticide residues.

“We are checking for artificial ripening, artificial colouring, chemicals for preservation and pesticide content. These things are more concerning as most consumers will find it difficult to determine their presence in foods they consume,” Nabi said.

He said that vegetable and fruit samples collected over the past two months had been sent to accredited laboratories for analysis and that the results would determine any further regulatory action.

Health experts warn that rotten or decaying vegetables can pose significant health risks, including contamination by harmful bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, as well as exposure to mycotoxins that may cause long-term organ damage.

The Food Safety Department said it has previously issued prohibition notices against food products found to contain substances harmful to human health, including ready-to-eat foods, milk and paneer.

Officials also noted that carbide-based fruit-ripening agents had previously been detected, prompting enforcement action and increased monitoring of food markets across Kashmir.