Tamil Nadu Chicken Vendors Facing Scrutiny Following The Tragic Death Of A Girl Who Consumed Shawarma

A group of food safety officials launched a series of inspections at 90 shawarma outlets in Madurai district, Tamil Nadu, following a tragic incident where a 14-year-old girl passed away due to food poisoning, allegedly from consuming chicken shawarma.

The unfortunate incident occurred when the girl and her family decided to enjoy a meal together, which included a chicken shawarma, among other non-vegetarian items brought home from a local restaurant by her father.

Prompted by this incident, the state's Health and Family Welfare Minister, Ma Subramaniam, took swift action, ordering the thorough inspection of all hotels and shawarma joints operating in the area.

A dedicated team of food safety officers swung into action on Tuesday, conducting inspections at 90 shawarma establishments across Madurai district. As a result of their investigations, two of these establishments were sealed, and approximately 70 kilograms of chicken were confiscated during the operation.

Jayarama Pandian, the Food Safety Officer for Madurai district, confirmed the actions taken, stating, "We inspected 90 shops and confiscated 70 kg of chicken. We have sealed two shops."

Furthermore, the police reported that on the same day of the tragic incident, 13 other medical students had fallen ill after consuming non-vegetarian food from the same restaurant and were currently undergoing medical treatment.