Food Safety squad conducted raids in some hotels and eating joints near the hill temple of lord Ayyappa and seized and destroyed stale food.
Hotels in which food was prepared in unhygenic conditions were issued strict warnings and action was initiated against shops that sold adulterated food materials, a press release from the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) said.
Five kgs of rotten lemons, about 60 kg of vegetable biriyani which had been mixed with artificial colours, and three packets of 'kumkum' which were intended for mixing in the food were seized and destroyed during the raid.
If such instances are brought to notice again, legal action will be initiated against these shops, the district food inspector informed.