Srinagar, Aug 11, KNT: The ongoing rotten meat crisis in the Kashmir Valley has dealt a severe blow to the local meat-based food industry, leaving restaurants, barbeque sellers and street-side eateries grappling with plummeting customer confidence and mounting financial losses.
Over the past weeks, several consignments of substandard and decomposed meat have been seized during market inspections, triggering public alarm and a sharp decline in the consumption of mutton dishes, long considered a culinary staple in the region.
The crisis has not only affected consumer sentiment but also disrupted the operational rhythm of hundreds of small and large eateries across Kashmir. From popular restaurants in Srinagar’s city centre to roadside barbeque vendors in tourist hotspots, the fallout has been both swift and damaging. “Customers walk in, look at the menu, and then leave without ordering mutton. The trust is gone,” Bilal Ahmad, owner of a family-run restaurant in the city told the news agency Kashmir News Trust. “We need the government to step in and direct all restaurant owners to buy meat only from registered and verified butcher shops. Each restaurant should publicly display the details of the meat supplier, the date and time of purchase, and the quantity bought. Customers must know what kind of meat they are eating and where it came from.”
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Restaurant owners say that such a system should be backed by strict accountability. If the meat is later found to be unfit for consumption, both the restaurant and the supplying butcher should face penalties. “We are struggling to survive because of the actions of a few unscrupulous traders,” said Tariq Hameed, who runs a busy barbeque stall in Khayam area of Srinagar. “We want stringent action against anyone selling rotten meat. At the same time, the government must support genuine businesses that follow the rules.”
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A hotelier remarked that the authorities should intercept the supply of unlabelled frozen meat at key entry points such as Pathankote and Qazigund. He added that allowing only fresh meat into the Valley would not only ensure quality but also benefit the local hotel industry.
The economic strain on the sector is becoming visible, with some restaurants reporting revenue losses of up to 80 percent in just a matter of days. Owners are urging the administration to design a transparent procurement and monitoring framework that will restore public faith in the safety of mutton products. They suggest that each restaurant should maintain a meat purchase register, prominently displayed for customers, with the name and phone number of the supplier clearly mentioned. This, they argue, will allow diners to verify the source and quality of the meat before ordering.
“Consumers visiting restaurants and barbeque shops should have handy information about the meat, where it was procured from, when it was bought, and how fresh it is,” said a group of restaurateurs. “The phone numbers of suppliers should also be displayed. These measures will boost consumer confidence and play a key role in reviving our business.”
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Industry insiders say the situation is critical and requires urgent government intervention. Apart from enforcing quality control and penalising offenders, they say the administration should also offer relief measures, such as temporary tax waivers or low-interest loans, to help struggling eateries weather the crisis.
With the peak tourist season still underway, business owners fear that if consumer trust is not quickly restored, the impact could linger well beyond the current crisis, further denting the Valley’s famed food culture. “All eyes are on the authorities to see whether they will implement a transparent and enforceable system that protects both public health and the livelihoods tied to Kashmir’s thriving meat-based cuisine, said Parvez Ahmad, a restaurant owner. [KNT]
