Officers of public health department of the Chennai Corporation on Tuesday conducted surprise raids on several food stalls located in the Marina beach and seized substandard soft drinks, snacks, oil and water sachets from them.  

Thousands of people have been thronging the Marina and most of the food stalls sell sub standard food prepared in unhygienic conditions.

The 25-member raiding team consisted of an assistant health officer, sanitary inspectors and food inspectors, said the city health officer B. Kuganantham. “We have reduced the sale of spurious food products by 70% through surprise checks” he said after the raids.

The officials, after finding 25 kg of chips, 20 liters of oil and 100 packaged drinking water sachets to be highly contaminated, warned the vendors against selling food items prepared in unhygienic conditions.

Kuganantham said that a lakh people visit the beach during weekends and 30,000 during weekdays on an average. The Marina is full of eateries and most of the shops sell unhygienic food.