(1) No person shall sell or distribute, either himself or by any other person, any food either cooked or raw and including any fish, meat, vegetable or fruit, which has become decomposed, putrid, rancid or foul-smelling or has been otherwise rendered unwholesome, unfit for human consumption or injurious to health.
* Now, the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (Central Act 34 of 2006).
68
(2) If, in the opinion of an inspecting officer authorised under section 93 any such article appears to be unwholesome or unfit for human consumption or injurious to health, the inspecting officer may forthwith seize and,
(a) with the consent of the owner or the person in whose possession it is found, forthwith destroy or cause it to be destroyed in such manner as to prevent its use for human consumption,
(b) if such consent be not obtained, then –
(i) if the article is of a perishable nature, it may, with the approval of any Magistrate or the Health Officer or Medical Officer of Health likewise, be destroyed, and
(ii) if the article is not of a perishable nature, it shall be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of section 11 (4) of the Central Act 37 of 1954*.
(3) The expenses incurred in taking any action under sub-section (2) shall be paid by the person who was in possession of such article at the time of seizure.
Flesh of dead animal not to be consumed
95. No person shall knowingly consume the flesh of any animal which has died of natural causes.
Explanation. – It shall be no defence to a prosecution under this section that the flesh was consumed as a matter of custom or as a matter of right on account of services rendered in removing dead cattle or any other ground.
Restrictions on sale of meat from outside