In a bid to crack a major whip against the use of synthetic and artificial colours in food, the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) department, targeted hotels and restaurants that serve shawarma dishes to customers on Saturday.
As FSSAI has received dozens of complaints from Karnataka, alleging utilization of unhygienic practices in shawarma preparation.
Acting on these complaints, FSSAI has collected shawarma samples from 10 districts of the state including hotels located in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and Bengaluru Urban limits.
After analysing the samples, the shawarma was of poor quality. As per FSSAI department, out of 17 samples collected from 10 districts, only 9 were clean.
Issuing a statement, they revealed, ‘In 8 samples we found bacteria and yeast traces that could affect the health of the citizens. Based on the lab reports, we have initiated action against such hotels and restaurants where Shawarma was of poor quality.’
According to FSSAI, these bacteria and Yeast were born due to lack of cleanliness during preparation and long storage of meat.
In order to safeguard people’s health, they have asked all restaurants and hotels to register their license under FSSAI act and also asked them to prepare fresh food on daily basis. They also requested people to buy their shawarma from FSSAI registered eateries only.