After Shawarma Caused The Death Of A Student, Kerala Make License Mandatory, Issues Guidelines
The Kerala Government has made a license mandatory for the preparation and sale of Shawarma in shops across the state.
According to a notification issued by the Kerala Health Department on Thursday, stalls found to be operating without a valid licence may be liable to a fine up to Rs 5 lakh and imprisonment of up to 6 months.?
Guidelines?for shawarma shops
The Health Department's notification also includes guidelines for the preparation, storage and sale of Shawarma.
The guidelines state that shawarma should be kept at a temperature of four degrees Celcius, and the ingredients for shawarma should be Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) certified.
Chicken used in the shawarma should be cooked for 15 minutes, beef should be cooked for 30 minutes and the kubboos used should have an expiry and manufacture date mentioned, it said.
Focus on hygiene?
The shawarma must be prepared in a hygienic place and the utensils and stands used must be cleaned properly. The knife used to slice meat must also be cleaned thoroughly. The leftovers must be removed properly and disposed off in the right way.
Those preparing shawarmas must wear a head cap and gloves.?
The fitness certificate of the food maker and the person serving have to be submitted to obtain license.
Use of mayonnaise
The guidelines recommend that raw eggs are avoided for the preparation of mayonnaise served with the dish.
Mayonnaise used in shawarmas should not be stored outside at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Mayonnaise should be refrigerated at 4-degree Celsius and should not be used after two days, it said.
Shawarma death in Kerala
The guidelines were issued nearly three months after the death of a 16-year-old girl in Kasaragod after consuming Shawarma once again put the spotlight back on the safety of the dish that has become massively popular in Kerala.
Devananda, a school student died on May 1, and more than 40 others were hospitalised with food poisoning after they consumed Shawarma from an outlet in Neeleswaram of Kasaragod District.
An examination of the shawarma samples collected from the eatery showed traces of Shigella and salmonella bacteria in them, which experts said could have resulted in the death.
Following the tragic death, which was the second such reported case in Kerala, raids were conducted across the states.
During the raids, it was found that many Shawarma stalls in Kerala were operating in unhygienic conditions.
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