Misinformation and Meals: How Cancer Scares Spread in Kashmir |
By Dr. Fiaz Maqbool Fazili
Time and again, the valley sees the same story unfold.
A food item is sent for official testing, partial results leak to the media, and by the time the science is clear, panic has already taken over.
Eggs are the latest target.
Before them, it was allegedly rotten meat, chemically ripened fruits like watermelon, pesticide-heavy vegetables, rice from adulterated mills, dried and smoked fish, and even microplastics in salt tea.
Families stare at their plates, unsure what is safe to eat and what might slowly harm them.
Food carries culture, survival, and memory. When fear replaces evidence, society becomes anxious, mistrustful, and vulnerable to misinformation.
The question is not whether food safety matters, it does, but how we can responsibly say that a particular food causes cancer.
When fear travels faster than facts, cancer turns from a disease into a breakfast plate phobia. People decide what to eat, avoid, and blame without real evidence.
Cancer in Kashmir has silently moved from hospitals into kitchens, dining rooms, and social media feeds. Headlines, viral videos, and misinterpreted studies often trigger panic: Eggs are dangerous, milk is toxic, rice contains chemicals, fruits and vegetables are contaminated, meat is lethal.
Foods that have nourished families for........