Jordan shawarma ban to be lifted

Jordan’s government banned the popular dish after 247 people contracted salmonella poisoning from eating chicken shawarmas. (Getty Images)

Some restaurants in Jordan will be able to serve shawarmas again if they can gain approval from health authorities, a food industry insider has said following the government’s ban of the sandwich due to a salmonella outbreak.

Raed Hamada, president of the Jordan Association for Restaurant and Sweet Shops Owners, said that “top restaurants” will resume selling shawarmas after inspections are carried out by health officials, reported The Jordan Times.

“Large restaurants are known to apply appropriate hygienic and health standards and maintain a good reputation in this regard,” said Hamada, quoted the newspaper.

Jordan’s government on August 12 banned the popular dish after 247 people contracted salmonella poisoning from eating chicken shawarmas at a local restaurant in the Baqaa Palestinian refugee camp close to Amman.

The association headed by Hamada met on Sunday to amend a list of conditions set by the government that restaurants must meet if they are to serve the dish.

At the same time, dozens of restaurant owners were gathered in front of the health ministry to protest against the ban.

Costs to the industry from the ban have been estimated between 100,000 Jordanian dinars ($141,237) to 250,000 dinars a day.

Sector guidelines

Inspections of restaurants will begin in Ramadan, scheduled for September 13, but those restaurants that routinely close during the fasting month will have to wait until its end to be inspected, Hamada said.

Authorities are due to provide the association with a list of health offices that will be receiving applications for inspection and licensing on Tuesday, he added.

Fathi Saleh, director of Jordan’s Food and Drug Administration, said last week that the sooner restaurant owners implement the government’s proposed changes, the sooner they can be back in business.

The changes include a daily autonomous quality control procedure within the restaurant and assigning a health supervisor for daily inspections of health safety procedures.

Certain specifications for the shawarma skewer, as well as the diameter and weight of the chicken meat are also recommended.

The association and the government have also agreed that restaurants have till the beginning of next year to meet other requirements such as appointing a health supervisor, while the association will be drafting a list of precautionary guidelines restaurants should adhere to.

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