Shawarma death in Namakkal | Food safety officials seize stale meat from restaurants in Erode, Salem

Food Safety Officers have started the checks on the quality of shawarma, quality of meat and marinated meat, and whether old and cooked food items were stored in the restaurant refrigerators.

Food Safety Department officials inspect a restaurant to check the quality of marinated meat in Erode on September 19, 2023 | Photo Credit: M. Govarthan

 

In the wake of the death of a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Namakkal district after consumption of shawarma, officials from the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department began inspection at restaurants to check the quality of marinated meat items across Erode, Salem and Namakkal districts and seized stale meat, cooked and stored food items here on Tuesday, September 19, 2023.

In Erode, teams led by J. Thanga Vignesh, Designated Officer, Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, along with food safety officers S. Selvan and B.S. Arunkumar, inspected 37 restaurants in Erode Corporation limits, Perundurai and Sathyamangalam and seized a total of 33 kg of shawarma, marinated meat, stale cooked poultry meat, cooked food, noodles and rice stored in refrigerators. Notices were served to nine restaurants seeking explanation.

Food Safety Department officials inspect a restaurant to check the quality of marinated meat in Erode on September 19, 2023 | Video Credit: M. Govarthan

In Salem, 33 hotels and restaurants were inspected and officials seized 182 kg of chicken, 17 kg of cooked and stored rice, 18 kg of banned plastic items, 500 grams of mayonnaise, 30 grams of synthetic food colours and two kg of shawarma chicken. Notices were served on 10 hoteliers.

Officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department checking the quality of meat at a restaurant in Salem on September 19, 2023 | Photo Credit: E. Lakshmi Narayanan

In Namakkal, officials inspected restaurants and served notices on 10 owners for various violations. Officials said inspection would continue across the district and warned of action against shops selling stale or rotten meat items to the customers. They said owners and cooks were warned against unhygienic practices and also against serving cooked food that were stored for many days and served to customers.

It may be noted that the Namakkal district police on Monday, September 18, arrested the owner and two cooks of the restaurant where the school girl consumed shawarma that led to her death while 43 persons who consumed meat in the restaurant were hospitalised. Also, on Tuesday, the police arrested poultry owner Srinivasan who supplied chicken.