India, Oct. 1 -- The Keralam Food Safety Department has launched a statewide crackdown on the repeated use of cooking oil, shutting 74 food establishments and seizing and destroying 1,436.4 litres of oil found to be unfit for use, Health Minister K Muraleedharan said on Thursday.

The action was taken during special inspections conducted across all 14 districts on September 29 and 30 under 'Operation Thelima', meaning "purity" in local parlance.

Special squads inspected 1,834 food establishments, with the drive focusing on roadside eateries, tea shops, street food stalls and snack-making units where large quantities of fried food are prepared, Muraleedharan said in a statement.

The inspections found establishments using repeatedly heate...