Now we know why Britain left the EU...
The late night pastime of ploughing a donor kebab into your mouth could be a thing of the past with news that a recommendation from an EU report could threaten the doner kebab's very existence.
The argument revolves around phosphate, a key ingredient in kebab meat, and whether it's use in the popular Turkish meal can cause heart disease.
Phosphates are an essential part of the doner kebab – keeping the meat moist as it rotates over the course of several hours on a greasy rotisserie. It is added before the meat is frozen for transportation.
The recommendation has been made based on a report by the Health Committee of the European Commission. Though the full report is expected to be published next year, the early conclusions paint a damning portrait of phosphates’ use in the meat industry.
Despite claims from kebab vendors across Europe that the phosphates are what give the food its unique taste, health experts have claimed that the additive could cause heart disease.
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Kenan Koyuncu of the German Association of Doner Kebab Producers said that If the European Parliament gets its way, this would be the death sentence for the entire doner kebab industry in the European Union.
Another German Kebab shop owner Baris Donmez said that ‘Such a ban would be the biggest pile of garbage imaginable.’
There are approximately 16,000 kebab restaurants in Germany alone, and the industry employs tens of thousands of people. While the doner ban would not effect nearly as many businesses in Ireland there would certainly some jobs lost if the ban were to go through.
It would be interesting to see how the Irish would react to such a ban. Would we simply fall back on the dozens of other take away options or would we take a stand to save the doner kebab? Only time will tell.
