Health minister Veena George has said that under the leadership of the Food Safety Department, inspections were conducted in shawarma shops across the state. "Inspection was done in 512 shops under the leadership of 47 squads. Shawarma business was stopped in 52 establishments that did not follow the proper standards. Compounding notices were issued to 108 firms and rectification notices to 56 firms. Action has been taken against 40 firms that gave parcels without proper labeling. Strong inspections will continue," the minister said.

"The inspection was conducted to ensure that the shopkeepers followed the standards in making shawarma. Establishments manufacturing and selling shawarma must strictly follow the standards of the Food Safety Department. Food business operators producing shawarma should be aware of the scientific method of shawarma cooking and implement the guidelines in their establishments by attending departmental awareness classes," she added.

"When giving shawarma as parcel, make sure to paste the label with the date of manufacture, time and instructions to eat within one hour. All hotels and restaurants must voluntarily obtain a hygiene rating from the Food Safety Authority."

"The Food Safety Department conducted a total of 4545 inspections in the month of April 2024 to ensure safe food. A fine of Rs 17,10,000 was levied in various state-wide inspections. 716 statutory samples were collected by various squads. 3479 surveillance samples were also tested. Last month, 71 samples were reported as unsafe and 53 samples as sub standard. 32 adjudication cases were filed for misbranded samples," Veena George said.

1605 licenses and 11343 registrations were issued last month. 65 adjudication cases and 83 prosecution cases were filed in the month of April. 477 rectification notices were issued to the institutions after violations were found during inspections.