Srinagar- Food safety concerns deepened in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday after authorities banned the sale of a Priyagold Butter Delite biscuit batch found to contain sulphite levels above permissible limits, even as a separate inspection drive was launched to test eggs for banned drug residues.
According to an order issued by the Office of the Assistant Commissioner/DO Food Safety Anantnag, Batch No. E25KPO2FB of Priyagold Butter Delite biscuits failed laboratory analysis at the National Food Laboratory, Ghaziabad. The batch has been declared unsafe and its sale prohibited until further orders.
Officials said the biscuits posed a potential health risk, and all units of the batch have been directed to be withdrawn from the market.
Terming the product “unsafe,” the report prompted immediate administrative action. Officials noted that the manufacturing or sale of such unsafe food items amounts to a violation of Section 3(1)(zz)(xi) of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.
Invoking powers under Section 36(3)(b) of the Act, Sheikh Zameer Ahmad, Designated Officer, Food Safety Anantnag, issued an order restricting the sale, storage, and distribution of the implicated batch across the district.
“All wholesalers, retailers, and shopkeepers have been directed to promptly withdraw this batch from their shelves,” the order states, adding that strict compliance is mandatory.
The department has also urged consumers to refrain from purchasing or consuming biscuits from the specific batch until further notice.
The sample belonged to products manufactured by M/S Surya Food & Agro Ltd. (Unit II) at Greater Noida and marketed by the same company from its Noida headquarters.
The development came as Food Safety teams across the Valley began collecting egg samples following public concern over suspected contamination with nitrofuran and nitroimidazole residues—substances banned in food-producing animals due to their carcinogenic nature.
The alarm was raised by MLA Zadibal, Tanvir Sadiq, who urged authorities to act swiftly.
“This is a direct public health risk. There can be no compromise,” he said, calling for immediate residue testing and strict action against violators.
Inspection teams fanned out across supermarkets and mandi markets on Friday, collecting samples for laboratory analysis.
“No physical inspection can confirm contamination. Only lab results will clarify the situation. Consumers are urged not to panic,” said Yameen ul Nabi, Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety, Srinagar.
He said sampling will continue in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and that any suspicious product will be immediately tested.
Egg traders at Srinagar Mandi expressed support for the drive. “We want full transparency. Results should be made public. Our own families consume these products,” said Tariq Ahmad, representing a group of traders.
Authorities said enhanced monitoring will remain in place and stressed that consumer safety is the foremost priority as both the biscuit and egg samples undergo evaluation.
