6 yıl önce

Is the doner kebab under threat? EU parliament moves to tighten controls

Germany's favourite fast food could be under threat from the European Union. Its parliament will debate on Tuesday whether to tighten regulations on the meat used in doner kebabs.

AP

A man slices cuts of meat from a rotisserie doner spit inside a doner restaurant in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, November 30, 2017.

The image of a doner kebab makes many people hungry for lunch or a late night snack.

But the European Parliament may put a stop to that, as it debates Germany's favourite snack on Tuesday, when MEPs will vote whether to tighten controls on the phosphate additives commonly used in the meat.

News of the potential ban has led to panic in the German media, with people wondering if it could be the end of the hugely popular snack introduced decades ago by Turkish immigrants.

"It's possible to make doner without adding phosphates. But our question is, why are we not allowed to use phosphates in doner when meat producers, cheese producers, drink makers, and so on are allowed to use them?" Gursel Ulber, Association of Doner Producers in Europe told TRT World.

There are thousands of kebab sellers in the city, and across Germany they have become a billion-dollar industry. But many in the doner business feel they're being unfairly singled out.

Phosphates, which also occur naturally, help bind any type of meat together on a vertical spit which helps the kebab to stay moist. But they have also recently been linked to increased cardiovascular risks. Lawmakers have commissioned a study to better understand the issue.

TRT World's Ira Spitzer reports from Berlin.