FDA Warns Against Dumping Seized Food In Water Bodies

The Jammu and Kashmir Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a detailed advisory directing strict compliance with scientific and environmentally safe procedures for the disposal of seized, rejected and expired food items, warning against their dumping into rivers, lakes or open land.

- Observer News Service

In the advisory, issued by Commissioner Food and Drugs Administration Smita Sethi, the department said improper disposal of unsafe food items poses serious public health risks, allows misuse within the supply chain and causes environmental damage. The directive follows recent reports of seized and expired food items being dumped into natural water bodies.

Reiterating provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and guidelines issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the FDA said disposal of seized or rejected food items must strictly adhere to approved procedures under Sections 38(4) and 47(4) of the Act, and subsequent advisories issued by FSSAI, including the one dated November 3, 2025.