576 food samples tested during Amarnath Yatra

Food safety teams have tested 576 food samples and inspected 354 langars along the Amarnath Yatra routes, Greater Kashmir reported. Mobile testing vans have been deployed at Baltal and Pahalgam base camps to check food items and drinking water on the spot. Officials inspect raw-material storage, cooking areas, utensils and water quality daily.

The department has also held 144 awareness programmes involving over 1,200 people and 103 training sessions for food handlers and sewadars. They are advised to use masks, hairnets, gloves and avoid cross-contamination. Expired or substandard food is destroyed on site.

Teams are enforcing Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board’s guidelines that restrict fried food, carbonated drinks and excessive oil, salt and sugar along the high-altitude routes. A senior food safety officer at Baltal said the goal is to ensure pilgrims receive safe food for the holy pilgrimage. Inspections will continue through the Yatra period.