Food Safety Department shuts 74 eateries in Kerala and destroys 1,436.4 litres of reused cooking oil under Operation Thelima

2 October 2026

The Food Safety Department shut down 74 food establishments in Kerala and seized and destroyed 1,436.4 litres of cooking oil in a statewide drive against the repeated reuse of frying oil.
Under Operation Thelima, 142 special squads inspected 1,834 food establishments across all 14 districts on September 29 and 30.
Health and Devaswom Minister K. Muraleedharan said adjudication proceedings have been recommended against 19 establishments, and 147 improvement and rectification notices were issued on hygiene, licensing and food safety practices.
The squads began inspections at 4 p.m., when the preparation and sale of fried snacks increase, and targeted roadside eateries, tea shops, street food stalls and snack-making units.
Officials used Total Polar Compounds meters and mobile food testing laboratories, and 74 samples were tested on the spot.
Under food safety standards, cooking oil with a TPC level above 25 per cent cannot be used for preparing food.
Used cooking oil must be handed over to authorised agencies for biodiesel production.