Salmonella is a common bacteria that causes food poisoning. It usually grows in temperatures between 35-37°C and pH of 3.8-9.5. Salmonella can be transmitted through foods of animal origin like meat, poultry, eggs if not cooked properly. In shawarma, salmonella can be introduced via chicken, mayonnaise, salad or cross-contamination from equipment and employees if proper hygiene and food safety practices are not followed when preparing or serving shawarma. Following safe food handling practices like washing hands, keeping foods at proper temperatures and cooking foods thoroughly can help prevent salmonella infection.

1. Shawarma
Food poisoning!

2. What is salmonella?
Salmonella is the most common bacteria that causes food
poisoning.
The symptoms of salmonella infection usually appear within 6
– 72 hours after eating or drinking contaminated food.
Include; fever, stomachache, diarrhoea, nausea and
sometimes vomiting.
The suitable temperatures for salmonella growth are ranging
from 35 c to 37c.
The pH of food influences the growth and survival of
salmonella, the range in which salmonella will grow are about
3.8 – 9.5.
Salmonella bacteria can be destroyed by cooking food for
enough time at a high temperature

3. How does
salmonella get into
shawarma?
chicken
Mayonnaise
salad
cross-contamination from equipment and humans
In shawarma the source of contaminations are
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Salmonella exists in different places, so there are
several sources of salmonella infection.
Salmonella is usually transmitted to humans by eating
foods contaminated with animal faeces.
The major source is the food of animal origin, such as
meat, poultry, milk and dairy products, eggs,
seafood, that have not been cooked properly.

4. 1.Mayonnaise
Homemade Mayonnaise is considered one of the most
sensitive foods for poisoning.
The main component of mayonnaise is raw eggs. There is
a great potential for transmission of salmonella from
chicken through the eggs shell; the microbe penetrates the
broken shell and then reach yolks.
There is no cooking involved
Neglecting mayonnaise outside the refrigerator for a
long time or in front of flame all day during selling
shawarma are unhealthy and lead to rapid spoil.
Why?
Commercial mayonnaise helps prevent food from
poisoning. Because It is made with pasteurized
eggs and also contains vinegar,
But

5. 2. Salad
Raw vegetables like sprouts and lettuce etc. may
contain E. coli and salmonella.
Maybe irrigated by contaminated water with
Salmonella
There is no cooking involved
Compared to cooked veggies and meats, salads carry the
highest risk of contamination.
Discard outer leaves and any torn or bruised ones.
• Rinse the leafy greens under running water and use your
hands to gently rub the surface of the leaves.
Don’t soak leafy greens in a sink filled with water. They
can get contaminated with germs in the sink.
Don’t soak leafy greens in a bowl filled with water.
Contamination from one leaf can spread through the
water to other leaves.
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Follow the steps below when washing vegetables:

6. Food prepared on surfaces that were in contact with raw
meat (such as a cutting board or countertop).
Lack of personal hygiene. Usually, in many shawarma
restaurants, cooks prepare sandwiches without wearing
hand gloves or face masks.
3. Cross Contamination
To shorten the time, some cooks thaw the frozen chicken
directly, through hot water and that lead to the spread of
bacteria on the chicken surface.
The diameter of shawarma, which reach 50 cm around the
skewer, reduce accessing heat to the centre of shawarma
and that provide worm clime for bacteria.

7. What is the treatment
for salmonella?
Most people with salmonella recover in four to seven days
and do not need treatment.
During the illness, the person should drink plenty of fluids
to replace the fluid lost by diarrhoea.
When should I call the doctor if I have salmonella?
The illness lasts longer than a few days
Diarrhoea is severe or bloody
A fever over 101.5°F that lasts longer than a day
The sick person is at risk for severe salmonella:
Call the doctor if:
o a person age 65 or older
o an infant
o Someone with a weak immune system (cancer patients,
people with HIV or AIDS).
o someone with inflammatory bowel disease

8. Recent or extended antibiotic use. Antibiotics kill off
many of the “good” bacteria in the stomach and
intestine, making it harder to fight off salmonella
infection
Antacids. Antacids lower the stomach’s acid level,
which lets Salmonella survive
Anything that changes the digestive tract to make it easier
for Salmonella bacteria to survive can increase the risk of
getting the infection. These include:
Are there other risk
factors for salmonella?

9. When cooking, wash your hands, cutting boards, utensils,
and countertops after they have been in contact with raw
meat or poultry. Wash your hands in between handling
different kinds of food (meat and vegetables, for
example).
Wash fresh vegetables and fruit thoroughly before eating.
Cook food to the recommended safe temperature:
Keep the refrigerator below 40°F.
Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold
What are some tips for
preventing salmonella?

10. Follow these steps when
preparing Shawarma
Buy all ingredients from an approved source
Meat cones that are to be frozen must be placed in the
freezer right away and must be kept frozen until cooking.
Use a clean knife and equipment when slicing meat.
The broiler must be kept on at all times. the broiler may be
turned down (not off). The outside temperature of the
meat must be a minimum of 60ºC at all times.
Once the meat is sliced from the cone, the meat must
receive a secondary cooking step on a grill or in an oven.
It’s important that you cook the meat to a temperature of
74ºC
Once the meat receives a secondary cooking process it
must be served right away or placed in a hot holding unit
that’s able to keep a temperature of 60ºC or more. Make
sure that meat is not left in the temperature danger zone.
Meat that has been cooled to 4ºC (must be re-heated to
74ºC (165ºF) before serving to a customer.

11. Health Canada. (2008). Management of the risks related to
consumption of donairs and similar products (gyros, kebabs,
chawarmas, and shawarmas). Retrieved from http://www.hc-
sc.gc.ca/fn-an/legislation/guide-ld/manage_ris_donair-
eng.php
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15697-
salmonella
https://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jestft/papers/vol10-
issue8/Version-1/D1008011922.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5864254/
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-
poisoning/what-is-salmonella
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