Shawarma eateries come under corporation scanner

Kochi: In view of fresh complaints on the sale of the Arabian delicacy shawarma under unhygienic conditions in some of the food joints, the corporation health department will start inspecting the shops from Wednesday.

According to T.K Ashraf, corporation health committee chairman, after a brief hiatus, shops selling shawarma, without ensuring quality and hygiene, are mushrooming in many parts of the city.

“We have received complaints from the public that some eateries in the city are discreetly providing this delicacy. Despite having strict norms, certain food joints are not adhering to safety and hygienic standards. The food is still being prepared and sold in uncovered areas, open to dust, along the roadside. Though the sale of Shawarma has not been banned totally, only those eateries which follow strict sanitation and food safety guidelines are allowed to sell it,” said Ashraf.

It was in July last year that the food safety department and corporation had banned the sale of this Arabian snack, after the death of a youngster from Thiruvananthapuram, due to suspected food poisoning from Shawarma. During the extensive raids conducted, it was found that most of the shawarma outlets were run under unhygienic conditions.

The corporation health wing will also raid the small wayside shops selling Kulukki Sarbath, the cool lemonade.

The civic authorities had earlier banned the sale of Kulukki Sarbath as the water and ice used for making the drink were found to be contaminated.