Kebabs can be bought on almost every street corner in Malmö, but the survey conducted by the City of Malmö shows that anyone who buys a kebab cannot be sure that all allergens can be known as a customer. It can be fatal.
"It's very serious," says Mikael Ewing, food inspector at the City of Malmö.
The inspector is surprised
The Environmental Administration has carried out 89 analyses on 30 different kebabs. They come from 20 different stores, restaurants and wholesalers. In ten of the meat products, allergens were found that can be dangerous. That is, one in three. Sydsvenskan was the first to report.
"I was a little surprised that there was so much wrong. Now we didn't take that many samples either, yet it shows that there is so much wrong. This indicates that we may need to take even more samples in the future," says Mikael Ewing.
The undeclared allergens found by the survey were mustard, celery and milk. The errors were discovered at restaurants and wholesalers, but in the stores the list of ingredients was correct. After the environmental administration's analyses were completed, products have been banned and sellers have been asked to return goods or throw them away.
"The customer must find out what allergen is in the packaging and the product," says Mikael Ewing.
"Can have great difficulty breathing"
According to the Swedish National Food Agency, 15 percent of Sweden's population suffers from some form of hypersensitivity to food. People with food allergies can fall ill if they ingest allergens they cannot tolerate. It can be about minor problems such as itching, but in the worst case, people can get an allergic shock that can be life-threatening. According to Swedish legislation and an EU regulation, it is an obligation for sellers of kebabs and other foods to have an accurate list of ingredients.
"Undeclared allergens can lead to an allergic reaction. You can get so bad that you get very sore stomach, vomit or find it very difficult to breathe, says Mikael Ewing.