An inspection of food establishments serving kebabs across Poland has found irregularities in over 80% of them, including many cases in which dishes contained meats different from those advertised.
The Inspectorate for Commercial Quality of Agricultural and Food Products (IJHARS) carried out inspections of 109 premises in the first quarter of 2023. It was the first such inspection focused on dishes offered in the form of a kebab.
According to the findings released by IJHARS, “various types of irregularities were found in 89 establishments (81.7% of those inspected)”, including issues regarding the composition of dishes and their labelling.
Out of 98 kebab dishes tested, laboratory analysis revealed irregularities in 53 (54.1%) of them, including the presence of undeclared meat material – for example chicken being present in a dish declared as containing beef.
Inspekcja Jakości Handlowej Artykułów Rolno-Spożywczych #IJHARS przedstawia wyniki przeprowadzonych w I kwartale 2023 r. planowych kontroli 🔍w zakresie jakości handlowej dań oferowanych w formie kebabu. 🥙Więcej informacji na naszej stronie: https://t.co/kJZoZDp87F pic.twitter.com/fg2bUnNHGO
— IJHARS (@gijhars) July 21, 2023
IJHARS also assessed the labelling of 139 kebab dishes and found irregularities in 104 (74.8%) of them. These included cases of the dishes containing different ingredients than advertised, such as a “lamb kebab” that was actually made of beef and poultry and imitation Feta cheese incorrectly labelled as being genuine.
Other issues included establishments failing to provide a list of ingredients, including allergenic substances, for dishes or incorrectly listing ingredients by omitting certain substances, allergens and components of complex ingredients used in the preparation of dishes, such as sauces.
IJHARS also noted that in some premises, a list of ingredients including allergen information was located in a place that was not directly accessible to customers.
After a German-Turkish businessman known as the "Kebab King" was detained by Polish authorities on organised-crime charges, employees at his firms in Poland have appealed to the prime minister for his release https://t.co/YMgBEBu94S
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) February 7, 2021
As a result of the various irregularities uncovered during the inspections, IJHARS inspectors issued 48 administrative decisions imposing fines totalling 63,200 zloty (€14,250).
IJHARS has recommended that “in order to protect consumer rights and interests”, further commercial quality checks must be conducted in catering establishments, during which “special attention” should be paid to the manner in which information on the composition of dishes is provided to customers.
Kebabs are one of the most popular fast foods in Poland, with kebab shops found across the country, from large cities to smaller villages.
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Main image credit: Alex Kehr/Wikimedia Commons (under CC BY 2.0)
Anna Hackett is an assistant editor at Notes from Poland. She is a recent graduate of European Studies from Trinity College Dublin and has had previous journalistic experience with the Irish Independent News & Media group.
