Some eateries also risk contamination by placing raw chicken above grilled meat, allowing uncooked juices to drip onto ready-to-eat food.
Several cafeterias across the UAE serve a special gravy alongside their machine-roasted rotisserie chicken. However, food safety experts warn that the sauce could put customers at risk of food poisoning.
“Several cafeterias collect the drippings in a dish placed at the base of the machine and then serve them as gravy,” said food safety expert Bobby Krishna. “This is essentially raw chicken juice. It poses a food safety risk and can cause food poisoning.”
To raise awareness, Dubai Municipality (DM) is seeking to organise the world’s largest-ever food safety training session on the safe preparation of rotisserie chicken.
Scheduled for November 17, the event will focus on improving the food safety knowledge and skills of chefs and Persons in Charge (PICs) working at restaurants, cafeterias and supermarkets that sell grilled chicken.
The session will run from 9am to 11am and be delivered in five languages — Arabic, English, Malayalam, Urdu and Tagalog. It also aims to secure a Guinness World Record. All eateries have been encouraged to participate.
The initiative comes as Dubai prepares to host the 20th edition of the Dubai International Food Safety Conference, beginning on November 16. Organised by DM, the three-day event will bring together international food safety regulators, industry leaders and experts to discuss emerging risks and best practices across the food supply chain.
Krishna said some restaurants also serve a separate basting sauce with their grilled chicken. “As long as the sauce is prepared in the kitchen and contains no raw chicken drippings, it is completely safe to use,” he said.
Other food safety mistakes
Krishna highlighted several other common mistakes at eateries, including the way chicken is arranged inside grilling machines.
“It is important to arrange the chicken properly,” he said. “Sometimes, an establishment places the rack of raw chicken at the top of the machine, with the grilled chicken below it.”
This can allow juices from the raw chicken to drip onto the cooked meat, creating a risk of food poisoning.
Another common mistake involves serving only part of a chicken. “If someone orders half a chicken, some eateries leave the remaining half at the bottom of the machine, again allowing juices from the raw chicken to drip onto it,” he said.
Grilled chicken remains popular with customers
Sabeek, from Dubai’s Green City restaurant, said the eatery takes several precautions to ensure its grilled chicken meets food safety standards.
“We use fresh spices and marinate the chicken in sanitised pots,” he said. “Inside the grill, we always maintain a temperature of 74°C. Once cooked, the chicken is kept in a hot cabinet at 63°C or above. Cooked and raw chicken are stored separately to prevent cross-contamination.”
He added that the restaurant does not serve gravy, choosing instead to pair its grilled chicken with garlic sauce.
Salim, manager of the Qusais-based Tea Junction restaurant, said the gravy served at his establishment is particularly popular with customers.
“It adds good flavour to the grilled chicken, and our customers love it,” he said.
“It is essentially a basting sauce made with spices that we pour over the chicken. Some eateries keep the basting sauce uncovered beneath the grilled chicken inside the machine. That is a food safety risk. We prefer to store it outside the machine to keep it safe.”
