Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 27 The Kerala Food Safety Department has destroyed 568 litres of used cooking oil and 7,000 fried snacks during a statewide inspection drive, Operation ‘Thelima 2.0’, to prevent the unsafe reuse of cooking oil, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said here on Tuesday.
The licences of 32 establishments were suspended for violating food safety standards, he said.
The inspections began at 3 am on Tuesday, with 56 teams checking 160 snack-making units across the state.
The teams used a special device to test the quality of cooking oil at the premises. They destroyed oil that failed to meet the prescribed standards and snacks prepared in unhygienic conditions and stored for distribution.
The department issued 23 notices to establishments, directing them to rectify the violations.
Six cases were recommended for further legal action, while action involving fines was recommended against 80 establishments, the minister said.
Repeated heating and prolonged use of cooking oil can reduce its quality and increase harmful chemical compounds.
Oil with Total Polar Compounds (TPC) levels exceeding 25 per cent must not be reused for cooking.
Food business operators must regularly check the quality of cooking oil and dispose of used oil in accordance with the law, the minister said.
The second phase of Operation ‘Thelima’ follows the first phase, which was conducted to ensure the quality and safety of fried food products.
Muraleedharan said strict inspections and action against the use of unsafe cooking oil and violations of food safety standards would continue.
(PTI News)
