Shawarma Banned in India After Another Shawarma Death?
Shawarma has now taken place in the news headlines after it has reportedly caused several deaths in the country- Watch full story
Everyone loves eating Shawarma. Shawarma is made by cutting meat into thin slices and placing it on a rotating rod to slow-cook it in the heat. The meat is then cut into small pieces and served along with a bread of choice like kuboos, rumali roti, etc, mayonnaise and vegetables. Shawarma is a popular street food in Middle Eastern countries, especially Turkey and Egypt. It is being eaten in India since about a decade ago.
However, in a sad event from Kerala, Devananda a 16 year old girl died on May 1, and 49 others were hospitalized, due to suspected food poisoning after the children ate from a food outlet named Ideal Food Point in Kasaragod, Kerala. Inquiry found that all of them had eaten shawarma. This is not the first time that the shawarma, this popular dish, has come into light in Kerala for the wrong reasons. The term ‘shawarma death’ was first introduced in 2012 when a 21-year-old youth died after reportedly eating a shawarma. The recent death of 16-year-old Devananda in Kasaragod has once again pointed out the bad memory from the past, leading to social media being filled with misinformation. Food safety officials, however, point out that shawarma is not the only food item that can cause food poisoning, and that any item prepared in an unhygienic condition or stored improperly can lead to serious life threatening infections. After “Shawarma Death” has become news headlines it also took a political twist and Tamil Nadu Health Minister M. Subramanian has appealed to people to consider avoiding eating Shawarma and some other ministers and politicians from other states are now also claiming that Shawarma should be completely banned as it is a foreign food and should not be eaten in India.
What do you think about the story? Do you think it is Shawarma which should be held responsible for the food poisoning or it is the bad hygiene which is actually the reason behind such incidents? Do let us know in the comment section below.
