Doner kebabs facing ban in Spain as EU politicians link the British favourite to heart disease

The doner kebab is under threat in Spain and across the EU.

It comes after EU politicians have begun moving to ban phosphates, deemed necessary to keep seasoned kebab meat moist.

The politicians argue it negatively impacts health and is linked to heart disease.

The issue arose when the EU’s executive commission proposed to officially authorise the use of phosphates in lamb, mutton, beef, or veal.

The Health Committee voted 32-22 to oppose it, following recent studies indicating the additive put people at a greater risk of heart disease.

A vote of the full Parliament set to take place in two weeks could see the ingredient banned, potentially banishing the doner kebab from European menus.

“They are looking for ways to hurt Turkish businesses here,” said Baris Donmez, the owner of a 24-hour kebab bistro in Berlin’s Mitte district.

“Such a ban would be the biggest pile of garbage imaginable.”

“If the European Parliament gets its way, this would be the death sentence for the entire doner kebab industry in the European Union,” Kenan Koyuncu of the German Association of Doner Kebab Producers told Germany’s Bild daily newspaper.