January 01, 2025

More Shawarm than Good

Russian authorities will introduce regulating standards for purveyors of shawarma in 2025, following frightening health violations.

The Russian food quality organization Rokachestvo did a test of the popular street food, and of 29 brands and chain shawarma shops inspected, only one was found safe for consumption. In August 2023, in Moscow alone, over 40 people got food poisoning from shawarma. Inspectors found harmful bacteria, including E. coli and listeria, in half of the samples tested.

A typical shawarma includes a mix of grilled meats, vegetables, sauces, and soft lavash bread: all ingredients that go bad quickly without proper standards in place.

New standards will measure quality, but will not be mandatory. Petr Shelishch, chairman of the Consumers' Union, expects that ease of access and flavor will still win out over food safety: "People will focus on their taste preferences.”

Tags: government health fast food

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Good Riddance, McDonald's

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Not Your Mother's Herring

Three professional recipes to spice up the traditional dish, herring under a fur coat.

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