Nigerians are increasingly turning to shawarma as a quick meal. However, health experts warn that frequent consumption could raise the risk of hypertension, high blood sugar, kidney disease, and cancer due to its high salt, sugar, seasoning, and processed meat content, amid unhygienic preparation conditions that also increase the risk of foodborne infections. IYANUOLUWA ABIOLA reports
For at least three days a week, a 21-year-old Mass Communication graduate, Stella Ginakachukwu, must buy and eat what’s fast becoming Nigeria’s snack and fast-food culture, shawarma.
Sometimes, she buys them from roadside vendors because it is cheaper and convenient; at other times, she orders them from more established restaurants at a higher price.
Regardless of the price difference, Ginakachukuwu says she enjoys the warm flatbread filled with sausage, spiced meat, crisp cabbage, sliced vegetables and creamy sauce three times a week.
“It is the fastest way to fill my stomach,” the Social Media Strategist told our correspondent when asked why it had become a staple meal.
But on one occasion, the Gen Z bought a wrap that disagreed with her so violently that she spent an entire week vomiting and passing stool repeatedly.
Ginka, as she is fondly called, said she knew something was wrong from the first bite as the creamy sauce tasted weird and different from how her taste buds knew it. Yet, she finished the wrap and had a week of diarrhoea as penance.
Considering how frequently the recent graduate consumes shawarma, she told our correspondent that some vendors, in their bid to ‘out-sweet’ their competitors, loaded the wraps and creamy sauce with seasonings and ingredients with unnamed ingredients that cannot be easily identified by smell or taste.
The social media strategist said she is also aware, as are many of her peers, that some people who eat it know they will have some discomfort after consuming it, but “they buy it anyway.”
Eating shawarma to belong
One cold Sunday evening, a tall, fair-complexioned lady in her early twenties, Sarah Abiodun, was home alone when her former coursemates reached out to her for a walk.
Bored and itching for some company, Abiodun, a resident of Ikeja, met with friends who decided to take a walk on the ever-busy Allen Avenue.
During the stroll, one of Abiodun’s friends suggested that they visit one of the shawarma stalls as it was a quick fix for their already hungry bellies.
Abiodun said she objected to the suggestion as she had never had a taste of the snack before. But her decision soon gave way to the many voices of her friends who convinced her that she would like the meal.
“I was uncomfortable about the environment, but I brushed off the feelings and bought the shawarma. I watched as my friends ate theirs and later followed suit,” she recalled.
The bread was the first thing that felt off to her because it tasted bland, so she dug in further to have a taste of the creamy sauce, which she presumed would be pleasing to her taste buds.
“It was sour. I thought since it was the first time I was eating it, it was normal. I only managed to eat about half of the wrap and then returned it to the paper wrap it was sold in under the guise that I would finish the rest later,” Abiodun narrated.
That night, the twenty-two-year-old made several trips to the toilet.
“My tummy began to rumble and ache. I went to the toilet frequently until I had nothing else to bring out except water. I became weak and couldn’t walk properly or eat anything. I eventually had to be admitted to the hospital for some days, where I was treated and then got better,” she said.
Abiodun remembered that one of her friends who ate the shawarma also suffered diarrhoea.
“That one experience has already quenched the desire for shawarma in me because I don’t know which one is good or well prepared,” the Ikeja resident said.
Shawarma: A quick hunger fix
The fastest thing a 5.5ft tall and dark guy, Damilola Adeyemi, could think of and lay hands on whenever a wave of hunger hit is a wrap shawarma.
The Ibafo resident mentioned that the only place he could get them was from the roadside vendors, whose makeshift umbrella stall is usually surrounded by the hustling and bustling of passengers and motorists. But he was unbothered as he needed to satisfy his hungry belly.
One time, Adeyemi said he noticed that the cream tasted different from what he was accustomed to.
“The cream was bad. I had stomach pain, vomited, and had several trips to the toilet for a day. I think it’s probably the cream that was used that day for the shawarma. It might have expired, or it was not kept properly,” Adeyemi recalled.
Trip to shawarma stalls
PUNCH Healthwise visited nearby roadside shawarma makeshift stalls to observe the process and preparation of a snack fast becoming a fad among Nigerians.
One of the stalls observed was at Ascon Bus Stop, along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
As motorists sped along the busy expressway, commercial motorcyclists at the lay-by called out to their passengers, while food vendors went on with their sales and meal preparation.
Discarded nylons and product wrappers, fruit peels and broken plates and bottles littered the area food vendors had carved out for themselves at the bus stop.
A few steps away, a shawarma vendor was seen setting up his wares for his evening sale. Shortly after washing and cleaning his utensils, our correspondent saw the vendor briskly rinse the beef, place it in a bowl, marinate it and place it on the long metal skewer, where he would later cut a portion into each shawarma serving.
Shortly after, a red plastic condiment squeeze bottle or sauce dispenser was seen being opened, and a light pinkish-peach cream was poured into it.
When that was done, the vendor sliced a chunk of cabbage into thin and short strings, which would be added to other diced vegetables and used as a filling.
Our correspondent observed that the diced vegetables were poured into an uncovered white transparent plastic bag.
Yet, the stall was close to a busy road and an area where the to-and-fro of motorists and pedestrians raised dust, which settled around the food preparation area.
After observing the process, our correspondent, in the guise of a customer, engaged the vendor in a conversation.
The vendor, whose name could not be ascertained, identified the creamy sauce as a mix of mayonnaise, tomato ketchup and ground pepper.
Once the preparation of the fillings was done, the vendor took two wraps of the bread, added some portion of beef, chicken, sausage and vegetables and squeezed some creamy sauce on them before deftly folding the wrap and setting it on the hot.
Our correspondent visited shawarma stalls at the major bus stops along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway to observe the snack preparation and hygiene levels of the areas.
The visits revealed similar concerns and more.
At one of the stalls at Ibafo bus stop, our correspondent observed that the chicken slices and sauce were not properly covered as flies perched on the exposed food.
The area was also surrounded by several customers who engaged in evening banter without restraint as the vendor moved between different tasks.
It was also observed that the shawarma vendor, with the same hand he used to turn the snack on the skillet, collected money and gave change to the buyers.
The creamy sauce was also not properly stored, while the bread was loosely kept on a table.
A resident of Ascon, Ogun State, Christopher Igwe told PUNCH Healthwise about the unpleasant experience he had after eating shawarma.
“I was like, what is going on? What is wrong with my stomach?” Igwe recalled
When he was eating the shawarma, he noticed that the sausage tasted bad. He said he returned to the vendor, who apologised and suggested that the oil used in frying the hotdog might have contaminated it.
Igwe told PUNCH Healthwise that his condition became severe and he eventually sought hospital treatment the following morning.
“For now, I can’t take anything like shawarma again,” Igwe said to our correspondent.
Tunde Ajayi, a student of Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, said he had a bad experience in 2023, shortly before an examination.
After consuming the snack, he had stomach discomfort and ended up being hospitalised.
Also, Khadijat Ogunsanwo, said she had eaten shawarma for a long time before experiencing what she described as a bad reaction.
She said she developed an itchy throat and diarrhoea after eating shawarma.
Ogunsanwo said the pharmacist told her that some of the creams used in shawarma could be problematic and that some products might require refrigeration.
She was given medication and subsequently became more conscious of where she bought shawarma.
“I make sure I check the environment where I buy my shawarma, where I purchase my shawarma, and I make sure it is done in front of me and all that, and I make sure the product they are using is real,” Ogunsanwo said.
What happens after the mayonnaise is opened?
The storage and handling of commercial sauces become particularly important once their seals are broken, particularly when they are used in food preparation.
During the investigation by our correspondent, opened mayonnaise was seen being kept without proper refrigeration, while mayonnaise, ketchup and pepper were mixed and transferred into another bottle.
The practice raises questions about how opened sauces are handled at some food outlets and whether the products are being kept in accordance with their storage instructions.
But the concern extends beyond the sauces.
Meat, vegetables, utensils and the surrounding environment can all become points through which food contamination occurs.
A food-safety problem bigger than shawarma
The concerns surrounding shawarma come against the backdrop of Nigeria’s wider food-safety burden.
The concerns surrounding shawarma come against the backdrop of Nigeria’s wider food-safety burden. The Federal Government disclosed in June 2026 that unsafe food causes nearly 50 million illnesses and more than 53,000 deaths annually in Nigeria. The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Iziaq Salako, said the country also loses an estimated 4.26 million years of healthy life annually to foodborne diseases through illness, disability and premature death.
Globally, the World Health Organisation estimates that about 600 million people fall ill after consuming contaminated food each year, while 420,000 die. Unsafe food can cause more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhoeal illnesses to cancers.
Research has also documented bacterial contamination in ready-to-eat shawarma sold in Lagos.
A peer-reviewed study of ready-to-eat foods sold in Lagos found a mean total bacterial count of 7.51 million colony-forming units per gram in 35 shawarma samples purchased from vendors in three markets: Agege, Iyana-Ipaja and Ikorodu.
The researchers examined 199 ready-to-eat food samples in all, including 35 shawarma samples. Bacteria identified across the ready-to-eat food samples included Klebsiella, Proteus and Bacillus.
The findings highlight the importance of proper hygiene and handling in the preparation and sale of ready-to-eat food.
The NAFDAC Food Hygiene Regulations 2025 apply to establishments involved in the preparation, handling, storage and sale of food. The regulations state that food businesses should not operate in unsanitary premises or in conditions that expose food to contamination. They also require food premises to have adequate potable water and hand-washing facilities supplied with running water and soap, as well as suitable materials for hygienic hand drying.
The regulations further require raw materials to be handled, packed, stored and transported in conditions that prevent deterioration, whole foods that can support the growth of harmful microorganisms should be kept at appropriate temperatures.
Those provisions are relevant to the conditions observed during the visits, including exposed food, flies, dusty surroundings, repeated handling of surfaces and ingredients and questionable storage of sauces.
Frequent consumption may worsen kidney disease burden
Beyond foodborne illnesses and infections, experts have raised concerns that excessive shawarma consumption could worsen Nigeria’s burden of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and obesity, due to its high content of salt, sugar, seasoning and processed meat.
Nephrologists say excessive salt intake not only raises blood pressure but also forces the kidneys to work harder. Over time, the combined strain can damage the kidneys’ tiny filtering units.
They also warned that excessive sugar intake can raise blood glucose levels and increase the risk of diabetes, one of the leading causes of chronic kidney disease.
Kidney disease is already a growing public health concern in Nigeria, as the Nephrology Association of Nigeria revealed that more than 20 million Nigerians are presently living with chronic kidney disease, with hypertension and diabetes identified as the leading causes.
Frequent consumption, rise in cancers
A Diagnostic Radiologist and Director of the University of Nigeria Centre of Excellence for Clinical Trials, Emeritus Professor Ifeoma Okoye, said the health concern with shawarma was not an occasional serving but what went into it and how frequently it was consumed.
She said the addition of sausage, a processed meat, was particularly concerning because the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen, with the strongest evidence linking it to colorectal cancer.
Okoye said frequent consumption of shawarma loaded with processed meat, particularly when combined with charred meat and repeatedly reheated cooking oil, could contribute to rising bowel and other digestive cancers over time, alongside factors such as obesity, low-fibre diets, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity.
“If shawarma loaded with processed meat becomes a daily or near-daily habit for millions of Nigerians, we should expect it to contribute to rising bowel and other digestive cancers over the coming decades, alongside other drivers such as obesity, low-fibre diets, alcohol and physical inactivity,” the Founder of Breast Without Spot said.
She also said the typical street shawarma could be high in salt, calories and fat while being low in fibre, stating that excess salt can raise blood pressure, while excessive calories and fat can contribute to overweight and obesity, increasing the risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease.
The Co-author of “Daily Habits That Curtail the Culprit Inflammation” noted, “Processed meats, refined oils overloaded with omega-6 fats, oil reheated until it turns dark, and refined white flour keep the body’s immune system on constant low alert. That silent, long-running inflammation is the common soil in which heart disease, diabetes and many cancers grow. One shawarma will not do it. A shawarma-a-day lifestyle can.”
Okoye also raised concerns about food hygiene, particularly the handling and storage of mayonnaise and creamy sauces.
“The immediate danger is food poisoning. The mayonnaise and creamy sauces are among the riskiest parts of a shawarma. When they are made with raw eggs, or left sitting unrefrigerated for hours in our heat, they become an ideal breeding ground for Salmonella and other bacteria,” she said.
She said poor handling of partly cooked meat and food by vendors could also cause food poisoning, leading to vomiting, diarrhoea and dehydration and, in vulnerable groups, hospitalisation.
Okoye advised young people to treat shawarma as an occasional food rather than a staple, recommending less sausage and mayonnaise, more vegetables and freshly grilled chicken.
The radiation medicine expert also urged consumers to choose water over sugary drinks and make vegetables, fruits, beans and local whole foods part of their everyday diet.
“Habits formed in youth tend to last for life, and the damage of chronic inflammation builds up quietly over decades. A teenager eating sausage-filled shawarma several times a week is laying the foundation for disease twenty or thirty years from now,” she said.
Too much salt intake raises high blood pressure risk
A Professor of Medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Babawale Bello, said that the high salt content of many processed foods could raise blood pressure and increase the risk of hypertension.
Bello, who is a Consultant Nephrologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, also said processed sugar was unhealthy because it could raise blood sugar and contribute to weight gain.
The seasoned nephrologist advised Nigerians to favour less processed foods, particularly fruits, vegetables and fibre-rich local diets.
“So generally, we would advise that people should eat food that is not processed. So we would rather you eat fruits, vegetables, and fibre. Our own local diets are preferred, particularly because of the fibre,” he said.
What dirty hands and flies can do?
In an exclusive interview with PUNCH Healthwise, Professor Tanimola Akande, a public health expert, said the practices observed during the visits could expose consumers to foodborne infections.
“The practices observed and poor hygiene in the processing of shawarma, can lead to contamination of the materials and ingredients used in its preparation,” Akande said.
He explained that uncovered ingredients could easily be contaminated by flies.
“The uncovered ingredients will allow flies to contaminate the ingredients with germs. This will result in gastrointestinal diseases like cholera, dysentery, typhoid and other diarrhoeal diseases,” he stated.
Akande said contaminated ingredients could cause symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and weakness resulting from fluid loss.
“Examples of such foodborne diseases include cholera, dysentery, typhoid and salmonellosis,” he added.
He also raised concerns about the handling of ready-to-eat vegetables.
“The dust from the road traffic can also contaminate the ingredients. Some spores from the dust can contaminate the ingredients and lead to diseases. Some of such spores can produce toxins,” he said.
Akande added that food handlers could also introduce bacteria during preparation.
“Staphylococcus aureus from the food handlers’ hands, skin and nose can also contaminate the ingredients. Toxins from them can result in vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pain,” he stated.
He further warned that smoke around food preparation areas could pose another risk.
“In addition, smoke can lead to chemical contamination of the ingredients with potential for chronic diseases like cancers and cardiovascular diseases,” Akande said.
When the sauce piles up
Speaking exclusively with PUNCH Healthwise on the nutritional implications, an Assistant Director of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dr Ogunmiluyi Olufunmilola, said large quantities of mayonnaise could significantly increase the calorie and fat content of shawarma.
“First, it can significantly increase the calorie and fat content of the shawarma. Mayonnaise is energy-dense because it contains a considerable amount of fat. When large quantities are added, a meal that could otherwise be relatively balanced can become unnecessarily high in calories and fat,” she explained.
Ogunmiluyi noted that frequent consumption of such meals could contribute to excess weight gain and obesity, particularly when physical activity was low.
She added that excessive intake of saturated fat could also affect cardiovascular health.
“An excessive use of mayonnaise consistently, which is high in saturated fat, can contribute to elevated LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol and increase cardiovascular disease risk over time,” she stated.
The nutritionist, however, said consumers did not have to completely avoid shawarma.
“It is perfectly possible to enjoy shawarma as part of a healthy diet, especially when it is eaten in moderation, and the overall diet is balanced,” she said.
She advised consumers to choose shawarma with more vegetables, a reasonable portion of lean meat and moderate amounts of sauce.
Ogunmiluyi also drew attention to the environment where the food was prepared.
“When shawarma is prepared close to busy roads, motorcycles or other food vendors, dust, smoke and vehicle emissions may settle on exposed meat, vegetables, sauces, utensils and packaging,” she explained.
She added that meat, vegetables and sauces could become contaminated when exposed to dust, dirty surfaces, insects, unwashed hands or poorly cleaned utensils.
It is not just about the taste
Beyond food safety, the amount of sauce added to shawarma can also alter its nutritional profile.
In a separate interview with PUNCH Healthwise, Olusola Malomo, Assistant Director of Dietetics at the Lagos State Health Service Commission, General Hospital, Badagry, said large amounts of mayonnaise, ketchup and pepper-based sauces could increase the calorie, fat and sodium content of the meal.
“Standard commercial mayonnaise is predominantly composed of oil and egg yolks, meaning it is essentially pure fat. A single tablespoon of standard mayonnaise typically contains about 90 to 100 calories and roughly 10 grams of fat,” Malomo explained.
He noted that the amount could quickly add up when several tablespoons were used in a single shawarma.
“When a typical shawarma is prepared, it is common for the maker to spread or drench the wrap in several tablespoons of mayonnaise-based or garlic-paste sauces, sometimes adding upwards of three to five tablespoons,” he said.
Malomo added that the combination of sauces and seasoned meat could also raise sodium intake.
“Mayonnaise, ketchup and seasoned shawarma meat can collectively contribute considerable sodium, which is a concern for people with hypertension,” he stated.
He also identified poor storage as a food-safety concern.
“Mayonnaise-based sauces require proper refrigeration and hygienic handling. Poor storage can increase the risk of foodborne illness,” Malomo said.
For consumers, he advised moderation and greater attention to how the food was prepared.
“For a healthier shawarma choice, consumers should look for less mayonnaise, ketchup and creamy sauces; request sauces separately so you control the amount,” he advised.
He also recommended choosing shawarma with plenty of fresh vegetables, lean grilled chicken and vendors whose hands, utensils and food surfaces appeared clean.
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