Dispute over popular fast food: EU examines objections to Turkish kebab initiative

The European Commission is examining objections from Germany against a Turkish initiative to protect doner meat as a traditional speciality. As a spokeswoman for the Commission told the German Press Agency, the aim is to clarify whether the objections to the initiative are admissible.

If this is the case, the authority would order consultations to resolve the dispute. If no amicable solution is found, a committee made up of representatives of the EU member states would have to examine the case. It could then tell the Commission by majority decision whether or not to grant the request.

The International Kebab Association, based in Istanbul, applied to have kebabs added to the EU list of “guaranteed traditional specialties” in 2022. If the request is granted, kebab skewers would have to be produced according to uniform rules throughout the EU in the future. The preparation of kebab dishes, on the other hand, would not be affected. For example, there would be no regulations about what kind of salad and sauce go into a kebab pocket.

The German Ministry of Agriculture, among others, fears negative consequences for German producers and restaurants. It criticizes the fact that the use of veal and young beef as well as turkey meat for kebab production, which is common in Germany, would be excluded by the Turkish application.

The application states that kebabs must consist of meat from cattle that are at least 16 months old or leg and/or back meat from sheep that are at least six months old.

The only alternative would be chicken kebab, which would have to be made from chicken breast and/or chicken thighs. There would also be precise regulations, for example, about which ingredients are allowed for the marinade, how thick the slices of meat have to be and how long they have to be marinated.