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Official data show authorities seized around 11,668 kg of meat unfit for consumption in the first week of August, while several tonnes were also found dumped along roadsides.
In early August, diners in Kashmir Valley were blindsided when authorities seized several hundred kilograms of rotten meat from a cold storage facility in Srinagar to be supplied to restaurants and hotels.
Following the raid, the Food Safety Department launched a wider crackdown, confiscating tones of unsafe and unhygienic meat in subsequent operations, disrupting business at eateries and hotels across the region.
Official data show authorities seized around 11,668 kg of meat unfit for consumption in the first week of August, while several tonnes were also found dumped along roadsides.
The seizures rattled the Valley’s hospitality sector, with many customers steering clear of restaurants and hotels.
“Business has declined by more than 70 percent in August,” Babar Chowdhary, president of the Jammu and Kashmir Hotels and Restaurants Association, told businessline.
Restaurants and hotels scaled back operations, with some sending staff on leave and others laying off workers as footfall dropped.
“Many establishments have split staff schedules, having some employees work for 15 days and others for the remaining 15, paying each only for the days they work,” said Chowdhary.
He said the authorities had identified nine businesses involved in the scam, but the names were only made public recently.
“Naming them earlier would have helped revive business,” he added.
Srinagar alone is home to more than 4,000 restaurants and hotels, many of which are struggling to stay afloat amid falling revenues and rising operational pressures.
“I had to lay off three employees. Last month, I couldn’t even pay the bank loan premium,” said a restaurant owner in Srinagar’s upscale area.
Hospitality sector
The Valley’s hospitality sector, already reeling from the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, has been dealt another blow by the meat scandal.
Industry insiders said the meat was reportedly brought into the Valley surreptitiously, without proper labelling, in flagrant violation of India’s Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The law requires all packaged food products to carry accurate labels and, along with the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, and the Packaging Regulations, 2018, sets standards for how food is packed and presented. The rules aim to prevent misleading claims and ensure consumers receive correct information on a product’s origin, quantity, and quality.
“We appeal to the authorities to check the supply properly before it enters into Valley”, said Chowdhary.
Published on September 5, 2025
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