Pork found in Doner Kebab!

Eating Halal food can be an easy choice particularly that we have so many Halal food outlets to chose from. Unfortunately there are a few Muslim traders that (maybe unaware) have been selling haram products. Below is an interesting story of recent investigations on Doner Kebabs....


Taken from the Metro newspaper, UK, January 27, 2009

The doner kebab, the post-pub snack favoured by drinkers up and down the country, could be adding a whopping 1,000 calories to their daily diet, according to research out today.

A nationwide sample of the nutritional content of the takeaway meal found that the average doner contained close to an adult's entire daily recommended intake of salt and fat, before salad and sauce was added.

An average kebab contained 1,000 calories but researchers found some with as many as 1,990.



Officers from the Local Authority Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (Lacors) found that the average doner contained 98% of an adult's recommended daily salt and 148% of their daily saturated fat allowance.

Doner fans might also be put off by the finding that 35% of the kebabs tested contained a different meat than that claimed on the label.

Even more worryingly, six were found to contain pork, two of which claimed they were Halal - permitted for Muslims to eat.

Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, chairman of Lacors, said, "We would never consider kebabs part of a calorie-controlled diet, but the level of saturated fat and salt in some is a serious cause for concern.

"The study shows that, even if there's a food label, it's not necessarily accurate. Even kebabs labelled as Halal had problems, with some found to contain pork. It is totally unacceptable that people that with certain faiths are unknowingly eating meats that are against their beliefs."

He added: "This study has turned the spotlight on doner kebabs and we hope that manufacturers rise to the challenge and work with councils to provide a healthier product that contains only what it says on the label."

The study sampled 494 kebabs from 76 councils and found that the calorie count varied up and down the country.

The average kebab in the North West of England contained 1,101 calories while in Scotland it was 1,084, in Wales 1,055 and 1,066 in south-west England.

The lowest calorie kebabs can be found in Northern Ireland where the snack weighed in at an average of 843.

Mr Theobald said: "This study has turned the spotlight on doner kebabs and we hope that manufacturers rise to the challenge and work with councils to provide a healthier product that contains only what it says on the label."