THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: As part of the 'nalla bhakshanam naadinte avakasam' (good food is the right of the state) campaign, the Food Safety Department will conduct a special inspection to find out the reuse of used oil, Minister Veena George said.

Used oil should not be reheated. Reuse of used oil can lead to fatal diseases including cancer. Complaints of refining and reusing used oil in hotels have come to notice. Strict action will be taken against those who reuse cooking oil. The Department of Food Safety will conduct inspections to determine if used oil is being reused. It can be detected very quickly with a TPC monitor. Tests will also be strengthened to detect adulteration in the oil sold in the market. The minister also said that non-edible oils should not be sold or used for cooking.

During the last 25 days, 4290 inspections were carried out across the state. Action was taken against 331 shops which were not licensed or registered. Notices were issued to 1417 institutions. 412 kilograms of stale meat was seized and destroyed. 429 samples were sent for testing.

5029 experiments were performed as part of Operation Matsya. So far, 7229 kg of stale and chemically contaminated fish have been destroyed. Notices were issued to 114 people. As part of Operation Jaggery, which was launched to detect adulteration in jaggery, 936 establishments were inspected. 181 samples were collected. Notices were issued to 11 persons. A total of 1205 juice shops were inspected. Action was taken against 9 shops. Notices were issued to 160 shops. The inspections will continue vigorously, the minister said.