Food is an essential part of our daily life. We eat it every day to remain healthy, active and strong. But the food that nourishes us can also become a source of illness if it is contaminated or produced, handled, stored or prepared in an unsafe manner. Food safety, therefore, is not merely a matter of rules, inspections and enforcement. It is closely connected with our health, our families and the well-being of our communities.

The scale of the problem is much greater than we may realise. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 866 million people—almost one in every nine people in the world—fall ill after consuming contaminated food, while about 1.52 million people die every year. Unsafe food also results in the loss of millions of healthy years of life. In 2021, the global burden associated with unsafe food was estimated at about US$310 billion in productivity and medical losses. Children under five years of age are among the most vulnerable. WHO's updated estimates cover 42 foodborne hazards, including bacteria, viruses, parasites and chemical hazards. These figures may be global, but the message is relevant to every household in Jammu & Kashmir. The food we eat does not begin its journey at the market or in the kitchen. It begins in our fields, orchards, dairy farms, livestock holdings and water sources. What happens at these places can ultimately affect what reaches our plates.

This is particularly important for Kashmir, where agriculture and horticulture are closely linked with the local economy, livelihoods and daily life. Apples, vegetables and other horticultural produce travel from orchards and fields to local markets and, in many cases, to consumers outside the Union Territory. Ensuring their safety is therefore........

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