Food safety experts in the UAE are raising alarms over a common practice among local cafeterias: serving the drippings collected from rotisserie chicken machines as gravy. According to expert Bobby Krishna, this liquid is essentially raw chicken juice, which poses a significant risk of food poisoning. While some restaurants prepare separate, safe basting sauces, others mistakenly leave containers under the grills to catch raw runoff. Additional dangerous practices include stacking raw chicken above cooked meat or leaving partially served portions in the grill, both of which lead to hazardous cross-contamination.

To combat these issues, the Dubai Municipality is hosting a massive training initiative on November 17, aiming to set a Guinness World Record while educating chefs and food handlers on proper preparation techniques. This training coincides with the 20th Dubai International Food Safety Conference, which gathers global experts to address emerging risks. While some restaurant managers defend their gravy recipes as customer favorites, they emphasize that safety must come first—often by preparing sauces separately and strictly maintaining internal temperatures of 74°C to ensure every meal is safe for consumption.