Officials investigate dangers of donairs
Report to be released on snack that has previously caused two major E. coli outbreaks in Alberta

Charles Mandel , Canwest News Service
Published: Saturday, March 15, 2008

HALIFAX -- Canadians may love their donairs, but the popular late-night street snack is under examination as a potential danger.

A national donair safety committee will release a report in May on the spiced meat that in previous years has caused two major E. coli outbreaks in Alberta.

Spending two years investigating the proper technique for cooking meat on a spit may sound like a job for a chef, but experts contend it's a serious public health issue.

Judy MacDonald, deputy medical officer of health with the

Calgary Health Region, said, "it certainly can pose a risk to the health of the public, especially given that it can be made of ground beef and not adequately cooked."

Beef donairs are a mix of ground beef and spices moulded into a cone, cooked in a vertical broiler and then sliced and served in a pita, according to a 2007 report in the Journal of Food Protection.

The report notes the food is particularly popular in the Maritimes, Ontario and Alberta.

While the pita-wrapped meat may be popular, it can also be deadly.

Undercooked donair meat in 2004 led to 43 confirmed cases of E. coli in Calgary. Eight people were sent to hospital and two cases of kidney failure occurred.

It was believed to be the first documented outbreak of E. coli from beef donairs. The Journal of Food Protection report -- MacDonald was one of nine co-authors -- noted that at the time of the outbreak "there were no Canadian federal or provincial food safety guidelines related to the preparation of beef donair."

Among the expected recommendations will be that the size of the cone be reduced and that the meat be double-cooked. Currently, donair cones on spits range in size from 15 to 33 cm.

The problem with the cone size is that the meat is only cooked on the outside, explained Mike Horwich, director of Food Protection for Nova Scotia Agriculture and a member of the federal food safety policy committee that ordered a working group to scrutinize donairs.

Smaller cone sizes would allow heat to penetrate deeper into the meat and prevent uncooked donair meat inadvertently being sliced off into a pita. Double-cooking will also help solve the same problem.

© The Vancouver Sun 2008