Srinagar, Aug. 22 -- To prevent sale of sub-standard and unsafe meat, Jammu and Kashmir government has come down heavily on food vendors and businesses by issuing a slew of controlling measures, including ban on packaged food products without proper and complete label. The government said that people selling substandard meat may face a penalty of Rs.5 lakh and a jail term of six years. The Commissioner food and drug administration (FDA), Smita Sethi, has issued a public notice asking for mandatory compliance with FSSAI guidelines for sale of frozen raw meat, chicken and meat products. "In the interest of safeguarding public health and ensuring the highest standards of food safety, all Food Business Operators (FBOs) including manufacturers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, cold storage operators, transporters, and e-commerce platforms are hereby directed to strictly comply with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2020, with regard to the handling, storage, distribution, and sale of frozen raw meat, Chicken and meat products," said the notice. "The sale of such packaged food products without proper and complete label declaration are strictly prohibited," the commissioner ordered. Since the beginning of August, Kashmir has been rattled by a series of seizures and confiscation of hundreds of kilograms of rotten, unsafe or stale meat or its products meant to be distributed to various eateries of thevalley. The confiscation of the meat by authorities was triggered when the Food Safety Department, Srinagar, in coordination with the Drug and Food Control Organisation (DFCO), found quintals of decayed meat from an industrial estate in Zakoora on the outskirts of Srinagar on July 31. The authorities have now announced conditions of what fresh meat, chilled meat and frozen meat should entail. "The frozen meat and meat products must be stored and transported at a temperature of -18degC or below at all stages, from production to the point of sale. Short-term chilled storage at 4degC is permissible only for a maximum of two to four days prior to consumption. Products stored at -18degC or below should be consumed within 12 months from the date of freezing, All establishments must be equipped with calibrated temperature monitoring devices and must maintain accurate documentary and digital records for verification during inspections," the notice said. The FDA order said that all mandatory information must be accessible to consumers prior to purchase, and indicative images of the product must be displayed online. Non-compliance to aforementioned requirements and conditions will attract strict enforcement action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. "...(It) may include seizure of non compliant stock as well as monetary penalties of up to Rs.5 lakh for sub standard products ( Section 51), up to Rs.3 lakh for misbranded products or missing label declarations ( Section 52), up to Rs.1 lakh for insanitary conditions Section 56), up to Rs.2 lakhs for without FSSAI registration (Section 48). Up to Rs.10 lakh without FSSAI License (Section 63 )," the notice said....